#woooooh i made a follow up!!!

[untraceable-ace]

Almost 2 hours late to the live react shitpost party bc I was dying my hair while watching it when it started but anyways

Under the cut bc it both contains spoilers for the m9 reunion p2 and also because it’s really fucking long lmao

They’re kicking these guys asses holy shit

wtf is going on with Kingsley btw like pardon?????

See my question is if Ukotoa is in the process of being released while they’re fighting or if he’s still locked away rn bc like

If he’s not in the process of being released waIT

NVM HE’S OUT

IN THE TEMPLE???

Oh god creepy snakes moving in tandem i love snakes but not like this

Run boy run byeeee

NO

NOONONONO

YEAH NO SHIT THATS NOT RIGHT???

fshshshsh the giant just knocked over in the center of the set is so funny to me

fr hes just

there

Oh wait worm???

Not Ukoatoa??

Caleb my god you are a noodly wizard why would you try to intimidate a betrayer god

LMAO A 17???

“That’s me�� jester my beloved

Cmon cmon NO

eight whyyy

Uh ohhhh

HAHAHAHA WARLOCK PACT

Which one which one

Is he just flexing w that ring of telepathy or did that have a purpose

Oh Jester <3

KINGSLEY???

“You just got this body” LMAO

First an accidental pact with an ancient evil sea deity then a pledge to essentially mother nature and now a betrayer god woooooh

Creepy

Wait this guy hates Melora does that mean Fjord can’t connect with her anymore?

LMAO the face

Oh not another cursed sword

i think its a cursed sword

maybe

Them putting up his stat card has me concerned uh oh

LMAO “thanks I hate it”

Ooooh a rapier fancy

its official I love Kingsley

AUGH GOOD BANTER

THE SNAKES

“Martial our forces” HMMM??

Darktow who is in darktow hold up

OHHH RIGHT plank king

Cant go back there

Fantasy DMs jfeoghehgaio;ewhaoge

syphilis gang

DAMN that was one efficient sending

You can just hear the agony in his voice ijodfsihjogiho

If anyone’s a glorified librarian its caleb idk what you mean beau

Charcuterie board

Mamas house has more tiddies followed by “That’s a good point” is fueling me

Winds in the east

mist comin in

something is brewin

about to begin

“I know all languages” jfc how many do you know now????

Im still wondering about that monkey yall what was that about

my original thought was that it was Artagan but it was so antagonistic idk

“We were probably a huge pain in your ass like a year ago” yeah sounds about accurate to what I know

I like her too jester she’s fun

risk esseks life cmon cmon cmon I NEED TO HEAR HIS VOICE AAUUUAUUGH

HES LEAVING PLS BE CONTACTING

damn wrong elf

fshshshsh hermit elf

WOW thats a lot of potions

break to wash out hair dye hold up

before i leave

haha charcuterie board

ok now brb

Okay hair’s done back to reacting

“Okay so you don’t blow yourself up” mood

Wtf is that rod??? Bc we all know he probably wouldve made it amber if he could

Fuckin dope move though omg

EIGHTY ONE????

GOD DAMN

OOOH OH I KNOW WHERE THIS GOES

GET HIS EYESSSSSSS

dainty sip of sherry in the midle of abttle from a flask i love it

holy noises followed by the camera panning to a glowing silouette of a dick on the floor

THREE DRAGONS?????

i mean ik two are illusions but DAMN

Dude I’m not sure Kingsley’s had one bad move this entire two-shot like wtf

soooo AC is 21? I think?

wait do different parts have different ACs?

HAHAHA YES EYEBALL WEAKNESS

Stab the eye, stab the eye, stab the eye, stab the e-

Gently give a slice to an eyeball muah

so eyeball AC is 27> (or equal to 27)

There has been an assault, far as i can tell sam is being a shit again

New tatoo?? Chainbreaker

Fancy

Ohoho oh nvm rip yasha’s dope ass thunderclap

won wound

Ooooh the big bad demigod can be frightened damn

DUNAMANCYYYYY

aw damn rip spell

new form who dis

Half of this live react is just me repeating one liners i found particularly funny oops

Oh nvm?? Dunamancy spell lives????

Nvm

Well ok its alive just half damage

Boy Veth I would love to see you try

“I can dodge gravity” can you????

HOLY FUCKING SHIT CHARACTER GROWTH INDEED

THAT WAS SO FUCKING COOL

Rip Beau taken out of the game bc piss

OKAY RIP BEAU FR???

FUCKING LEGENDARY HDYWTDT

GET FLUFFERNUTTERED BITCH

RIP FJORD SENT OFF INTO SPACE MY GOD

OH

OHOHOHOHOH

CMON CMON CMON SEAL HIM AWAY DO IT DO IT

OooUuUhfhdbdjfe I love the lighting change for going under water

Cmon pls pls pls work seal that bitch away

WHAT

OHOHO

FUCK YEAH MATE

Uh oh my boys gonna get the bends good call w the far step tbh

Actually bad call that’s too fast a pressure difference

Ayo Travis w the accurate bends rep

Ugh I love Caleb’s level 17 art sm

Well damn Melora!!!! Queen shit tbh

I hope “keep that just for me” means he swallowed it again

LMFAO MATTS FACE

Dicks and Other Things

The Molly Look™️

Promptly steal I love him

DAMN Kingsley’s on some king shit

Literally

ORPHAN TAKER IM SOBBING

WAUUAUAUGHFHFB CMON CMON

HIS BOICE I GOT TO HEAR HIS VOICE SJRJQIFUJEHE

THEY GOT THEIR SHIT TOGETHER SO QUICK????? SIX MONTHS??????????

CRYING SOBBING LOSING MY MIND

That was so fucking good oh my god

stimmed so hard at the end that my limbs started to actually cramp lmao

[shibashelf]

i feel like i may exceed the tag limit so i'm just gna type normally

BEAM. this was such a lovely read 😭😭 my heart is full. i read this otw back to my dorm and slept 40 min later than usual bc i wanted to finish it HAHAHAH but no regrets

first of all i love the depth you put in your fics!! the backstories and characters are so wonderfully fleshed out. it is so freaking wholesome to see the dynamics of the individual characters and their friend groups - like the chaos and also the unwavering support and love they have for one another :")

also the DETAILS. my god. u r so good at incorporating all these subtle little things which tell you so much. i really felt like i was in the moment and following the characters bc the setting felt so realistic - little quirks about their uni like the tradition to take photos when the flowers bloom, Dead Week™️, descriptions about the surroundings/environment, the characters' favourite food places etc i could go on!!!

and the details and actions by the characters tell you so much about them :') like changmin's video folder password being yn's bday????!#?!?-?@?(@*@ GOD u can tell they still care so much about each other and miss the other's presence :")))

SPEAKING OF WHICH the plot was so good. right from the start it's like ?? ok why do these 2 seem to hate each other so much. v intriguing. there is so much raw emotion, and the way you weaved in very compelling backstories for the 2 of them made this story feel so real. i think the struggles and genuine sentiments which you incorporate in your works make them feel more striking - i feel like your writing allows for this human connection about shit we all go through uk? like i (thankfully) can't relate to the parental restrictions and lack of support, but i stopped doing dance ~4 years ago and sometimes i feel envious when watching dance performances/vids and wish i could get back into it :")

also the kiss scene is so kdrama coded WOOOOOH but not doyoung having comedically awful timing... that part (along with so many other parts) was so funny

that's abt all i have to say AHAHAH in summary: thank you for the gift of you & your writing! this story really touched my heart :) and it gave me smth nice to think about other than my assignments and lab report (i am a woman in stem like yn 😔✊️ which reminds me the deionised water being locked up was damn funny)

<3

OFF THE RECORD ▷ PART ONE (EP1-8)

nonidol!ji changmin x fem!reader

everyone thinks changmin is cute and harmless, but you know that's not who he really is.

▷ genre, part warnings. e2l, childhood friends gone bad, (extra) slow burn, fluff, angst, mentions of childhood trauma and parental manipulation, arguing, bittersweet galore, nct ten is there for the sole purpose of being nosy like the rest of us or for being a 2nd male lead who knows!, swearing, hurt/comfort, ji changmin dancing. (need i go on), symptoms of panic/anxiety, a lot of non-tbz moments sorry i meant it when i said extra slow burn, pining haha...ha (very subtle)

▷ PART ONE WC. 18.5k

this is the third installment of the love in unity series! this can be read as a standalone, but i encourage u to read jacob and eric's storylines too! all prev and future yns will be referred to as _!yn ;) / otr part two

a/n: this was going to be a very quirky author's note, but it's not anymore bc i'm really mad at tumblr. pls enjoy :')

EPISODE ONE (PILOT): OFF THE CLOCK

"NIGHT, Yn!"

"Good night, Yn-ie."

"Make sure you get some rest, Yn-ah! Good luck with the report."

The door out of the laboratory building shuttered closed after your last coworkers and peers swept out to leave you to the white noise of the lights above your head and the cooling units. You were probably the only person crazy enough to still be chained to your lab workbench on a Friday night, especially when it was already six o'clock. Your stomach growled its complaints as you tucked a pen behind your ear with a sigh. There was probably a bag of shrimp chips in the break room snack stash, and you pushed your stool beneath the workbench to head into the break room.

Now that the laboratory was practically barren except for you, it wouldn't be a bad idea to take the reign of Kun's speaker…

The sound of your phone ringtone blared out loud from your pocket, and you scrambled to grab it with your other hand not occupied with shrimp chip crumb dust (after having washed your hands, of course). You put the call on speaker then deposited your phone onto the countertop so both hands could be used for eating. "Yo."

"You've been hanging around Mark too much," Yeri answered from the other end.

You snorted, covering your mouth for a moment, then replying, "Well good evening to you, too, my beloved. What's up?"

You could hear the muffled sounds of your friends from the other side of the phone. A car door slammed shut. "Hey-yo, is that Yn? Yn, what's up, my dude?"

"Mark, can you speak like a regular human?" That was Seungkwan. "Hi Yn-ie! We miss you, mwah!"

"Look, man. Me and Yn are homies, and this is literally just how I talk—"

The car door opened and Yeri must have taken initiative to get out of the car herself at this point. You laughed at her audible eye roll. "Okay, now that you've heard what I have to deal with, will you tell me that you're coming to the dance draft show tonight?"

Your mood soured.

It wasn't that you didn't want to go for Yeri's sanity's sake, you just didn't want to go, period. What the performing arts called a rehearsal, they referred to as a "draft" stage, where they planned rough runs of acts for the showcase. It just so happened that the dance department was holding their draft show for people to sit-in to watch tonight; their final showcase would be held on the Friday night of finals week, which was only in a few weeks now.

(Why did they call it a "draft" stage instead of simply a "rehearsal"? Well, you had no clue, and you didn't have any plans to ask anyone who would know the answer.)

When you didn't immediately answer, you heard Yeri's grumble. "Don't nerd out on me, Miss Yn Ln."

You gasped. "Nerd out on you? I'm being responsible—"

"You're being a workaholic!"

You pursed your lips together and quickly rinsed your fingers of shrimp chip crumbs. "Fair. But I'm sorry, I'm not going."

A brief pause. Then, the sigh. "Okay. That's okay," she said. "Wanna meet us for dinner afterwards at least?"

Your stomach grumbled, right on cue. It wasn't loud enough for Yeri to hear on the other end, but the timing made you laugh to yourself. "Definitely."

There was a smile in your friend's voice. "Cool! I'll text you details once we figure out what's happening. In the mean—" her voice was interrupted by the sound of muffled yelling on the other side, and Yeri pulled her mouth away from the phone so she could screech at Seungkwan, Mark, and now, Kim Jungwoo, to be quiet and put their seatbelts on. You heard vaguely about Jungwoo being late for his call time, and you were not at all surprised. She returned to the phone with a grumble. "You're really leaving me with the kids, Yn?"

You giggled. "Sorry, Yeri. I'll pay for your dinner."

"Deal. See you soon, babe."

"See ya, love!"

When the phone call ended, you realized just how thick the silence fell around you. It settled like a blanket over your senses, and it all became a bit overwhelming, especially after such a loud phone call.

You sighed, putting the shrimp chips back in the snack stash. You might as well go find where Kun hid his speaker to fill the silence then.

— ✶

People were yelling. And tripping. And crying.

In retrospect, this constituted as a normal backstage environment for something like a finals showcase draft rehearsal. It was hardly even a rehearsal, but more so a sneak peek showcase. There were people in the audience, after all.

Ji Changmin would know. This would be his third winter draft show out of his three years here in university. There were always showcases at the end of each quarter, but the winter show wielded the title of most anticipated. With the cold and rainy weather keeping most people indoors, it allowed for a larger crowd to come flocking toward said indoor modes of entertainment. Thus, the winter showcase and all of its hype.

Changmin lingered in his little corner of the backstage area, calmly stretching out his lanky limbs while chaos erupted all around him. He had two acts this time around—a duet with Lee Juyeon, as well as a solo performance. It had been enough to keep him busy for the quarter, among his other classes.

"—Jungwoo, you're late!"

He raised his head at the sound of Lee Minho’s voice from across the room, the dirty blond sending a deadpanned glare at the man in question. Kim Jungwoo’s eyes were wide with doe-like innocence as he made his way toward his friend, his posse following behind and taking in the chaos with amused awe. Changmin could easily recognize those present—Kim Yeri, Mark Lee, and Boo Seungkwan.

He turned his head away; it wasn’t his business, and he had much bigger things to worry about.

He raised his hands to his neck to put his headphones over his ears, but paused when he caught a few more echoes of their conversation.

“ — sorry Minho, but you know I can’t resist getting a free carpool ride,” Jungwoo said while setting his duffle bag in the corner and swiftly joining Minho in stretches. If Changmin was a hard ass when it came to dance and schedules, Minho was much worse. But Changmin respected him a lot, especially in a craft like dance and performance—he saw him as an equal.

A sigh from Minho. “Yeah, yeah. Poor Yeri.”

Yeri huffed, her hands shooting up into the air. “Thank you!”

Minho folded his arms over his chest as he stood up straight to stand next to Yeri as the two of them absentmindedly watched Jungwoo fold himself in two to stretch his long legs out. “Huh, no Yn tonight?”

Changmin didn’t know why he was still listening. He slowly lowered his headphones back to their position around his neck, then resumed stretching out his hamstrings. He could wait a couple more minutes before getting into his choreography…

“You know you’re not gonna see her anywhere near this place,” Yeri said with a pointed look. Changmin held back a retort, or even a snort. “Wanna get dinner with us tonight? She’s coming to meet us after the show.”

“Ah, I’d love to, but I promised Jisung I’d swing by the studio afterwards. Hey, have you met Ten yet? You should ask…”

Changmin decided that this was an appropriate moment to tune out. He swiftly donned his headphones and reached for his phone hidden in the pile of his duffle bag and jackets in the corner. He didn’t even know why he listened in when your friends brought you up. Why were you even still connected to the dance and performing arts department people anyway? He huffed, rolling his eyes with a small shake of his head. It wasn’t like you wanted to be connected to dance anyway. So why give him a constant reminder of your existence and the past you shared—

“Changminnie!” Juyeon appeared in front of him, waving to him with that goofy smile to get his attention.

Changmin broke into a smile as he shifted one side of his headphones from his ear. “Hey. Wanna go over some of the routine?”

Juyeon nodded. “Yeah, I’m ready. I was trying to get your attention, but I think you were just occupied.”

Whoops. Changmin flicked his wrist as he followed Juyeon down the hallway to a more private place to practice with his friend. “Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking of something.”

“Oh, okay,” Juyeon ducked his head into an empty dressing room in the back hallway, beckoning Changmin to follow him in. “Nothing to worry about though? You can talk to me; no judgment.”

Changmin chuckled and closed the door behind him. “Nah, nothing important. Let’s just focus on the performance.” Anything involving you? Definitely not important anymore.

— ✶

Late February brought the cold, bitter winds of night to the university, so the trek all the way across campus from the laboratory buildings to the performing arts hall was a hellish one. You kept your head tucked into the puffy collar of your puffer jacket, hands stuffed into your pockets, a happy tune blasting in your ears to keep you going all the way up the road. It was around nine o’clock by the time you made it to the front of the performing arts hall, and you could already see the sea of people meandering outside its doors post-draft show.

You shivered and pulled your phone out from your pocket to see where your friends were waiting for you.

“Yn-ie!”

Your head lifted and you grinned, waving your hand at Seungkwan who was making his way over to you. “Hi Kwannie,” you greeted and wrapped your arms around him in a warm embrace.

When you’d pulled away, Seungkwan made a face as he shuddered. “Jesus, it’s cold. I should have brought a scarf or something. Did you walk here?”

You began to nod, but he tsked. “Aish, Yn. You should’ve called! No one should have to walk in this torturous cold.”

You laughed. “It’s no big deal. We’re about to go get some hot food, so it’s cool.”

“We might have to wait for a little longer.” Both you and Seungkwan turned toward Yeri, Mark, and Jungwoo who were walking over. Jungwoo had a sweatband holding his bangs out of his face and his duffle slung over his shoulder. He had his jacket draped over his arm; he was probably warm from the showcase. “We’re waiting on Ten to finish up.”

“Hi Jungwoo,” you greeted him, and the man returned the expression with a side hug. You furrowed your brows. “Who’s Ten?’’

Mark replied with a sniffle from the cold, “Oh, he’s a new exchange student! Well, he was originally admitted here, but he went abroad for a year. He's with the NCT frat. Super cool, super funny. He’s great at dance though.”

“I think you’ll vibe with him, Yn,” Yeri chimed in. “He’s asking a couple people for their opinion on a few parts of his routine, so I think he’ll be out soon.”

You nodded in understanding. You didn’t mind waiting, but you hoped what Yeri said about him was true. Hopefully you did get along with him, because you were honestly far too tired to forcefully play nice. You were hoping for a chill night anyway. Then again, as long as you could avoid a certain someone tonight, this would turn out to be a chill night in general.

You and your friends chatted for a few minutes only before Jungwoo caught someone’s eyes from behind you, Yeri, and Mark. He brightened. “Ten! Ten, over here!”

You all swiveled.

Ten was just as lean and lithe as Jungwoo was, but with black bangs, a pair of round spectacles hanging from the collar of his white T-shirt, and a cute smile on his face. You and he made brief eye contact before Jungwoo was hopping on the balls of his feet to greet him.

Jungwoo slung an arm around Ten’s shoulders as he brought him over to the group. “Yn, this is Ten Lee. Ten, this is Yn-ie—the friend we mentioned earlier.”

Your eyes widened slightly. “Why was I mentioned?” You laughed nervously.

Ten flashed you a boyish kind of smile. “Oh, it was nothing; don’t worry. It’s nice to meet you though.”

Your heart didn't slow at his assurance. “Ah, okay then. Uh, nice to meet you, too!”

“Did you get your routine settled?” Seungkwan asked as the lot of you began to move in one, loose blob toward Yeri’s car. (How all of you would manage to fit, that was something you mentally were trying to figure out. In Yeri’s tiny sedan, you might have to squish four people into the back seat.)

Ten nodded enthusiastically. “Yup, it’s all sorted. Minho and Changmin were really helpful with their comments.”

You felt the people around you freeze at the mention of Changmin’s name. You stiffened as well, but tried to force the strange feeling to go away. Your friends knew the drill, too, but you saw the way they glanced at you from their periphery.

Ten was smart, you realized, when his head tilted at all of your reactions.

Time for damage control. “That’s—that’s good!” Mark’s voice cracked and coughed to clear it. “I mean, Minho’s always been really attentive to details and stuff. I think he was almost recruited to become an idol or something like that…”

Ten pursed his lips, as if silently saying, ‘I’m not buying this bull’. You decided to just… do it. “Changmin’s a great dancer, too,” you said, and everyone shot disbelieving glances your way, but you could already see how Ten was grasping onto everything you were saying. You forced a neutral tone into the way you spoke, forced yourself not to let the bitterness seep through. No one deserved to fall victim to the feelings that were only meant for one Ji Changmin. “I’m glad he helped you out. He’s really good at sharp movements and isolations.”

“Oh, do you dance, Yn?” Ten piped up with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Ruh roh,” you heard Seungkwan murmur, and he shuffled away from you to go to the other side of Yeri’s car.

Maybe you purposefully let him see right through you. “Not really. It was a long time ago.”

You and Ten held eye contact, the silent tension like communication passed between the two of you—this was personal, but Ten could figure out that there was more to the story. It was odd though; the way he didn’t fear prodding just a little bit. You didn’t know why you were letting yourself feed him more bait, but Yeri was hollering for the two of you to squeeze into the backseat, and you snapped out of it.

Weird…

Ten held the backseat door open for you. “Looking forward to getting to know you, Yn,” he said pleasantly.

Your eyes narrowed slightly as you slipped into the backseat. “Same to you…”

EPISODE TWO: OFF THE TABLE

YOUR curiosity won you out.

In fact, it won you over so much that you agreed to get coffee with Ten Saturday afternoon—with Mark and Yeri, of course. The four of you had coordinated stopping by one of the coffee shops in the shopping mall just down the hill from the university to hang out and destress a little from the incoming second wave of STEM midterms. Well, you needed to destress. Mark was in communications, Yeri in psychology, and Ten was… what was Ten’s major again?

“Foreign affairs,” he answered before lifting the straw of his iced americano to his lips. “Lots of foreign language classes and politics and history. Politics and capitalism classes are not my favorite, but all the cultural courses on campus are really great.”

You bobbed your head, propping your chin onto your palm. You sat across from him at one of high tables in the cafe; Mark and Yeri’s stools were barren, save for the belongings they left for you and Ten to watch, while they literally sprinted across the mall to the grocery store because they forgot they were supposed to bring booze to the NCT-RVE joint alumni homecoming tonight. You probably weren’t going to go just because social energy came in short supply these days, but you promised to send a card for your friends in RVE.

“I can imagine,” you commented. “I took a really neat course on African tribes and culture in freshman year, and I miss my professor a lot. I sometimes wonder what would have happened had I joined his study abroad program in Ghana instead of staying here.”

Ten’s head did the tilt thing again, the one you recognized from last night as something he did when he was intrigued. “That does sound really cool. What made you stay?”

Where do I even begin? “My major,” you replied simply. It wasn’t really a lie—not entirely a lie. You sipped on your latte, a faraway look in your eyes. “I was so set on a plan that I guess I got nervous about the unknown should I have gone on that trip.”

“Mm, I understand.” He had taken on a softer look now, something more akin to empathy. “It is a little scary, but while I was in Indonesia, I realized I wouldn’t have traded such an experience for anything else."

You set your cup down. "Have you always wanted to dabble in global affairs?"

"Uh, I'm not sure," he said, head tilted upward with a scrunch in his nose. He nudged his glasses up the smooth slope of his sculpted nose. "I was kind of put in a situation where I had to learn a lot of new languages, and I luckily turned out to be pretty good at picking up on them."

"Wow, that's really cool," you chuckled. A talent you definitely envied. And it seemed like Ten had made the decision to pursue this future of his on his own. You wished you could say the same.

From the counter of the café, you heard one of the workers call out your order number for cinnamon rolls, fresh from the oven.

You began to slip off your stool, and Ten spoke up, "Oh, I can totally go get those."

"It's no problem," you chirped, "I'm already down anyway." You were swift to scurry over to the counter and pick up your table's tray of cinnamon rolls with a smile at the worker in deep gratitude. The thick, warm sweetness wafted into your nose, and you inhaled the delights with a blissful grin.

However, as you turned to head back to the table, you halted abruptly, nearly knocking the plates on the tray into each other.

There, standing next to your table and chatting with Ten, were Ji Changmin and Choi Chanhee.

Great.

The sweet dessert smell soured and tasted like acid on your tongue. Bitter, like the taste of hot coffee straight from the pot. You schooled your face into neutrality, but there was no way all of the uncomfortableness could stay away.

You made your way over; the tray was getting heavy.

"—actually here with Yn, Mark, and Yeri—" Ten was pointing your way and you had to control your urge to hide.

Changmin and Chanhee's heads turned in sync, but only Changmin's eyes narrowed at the sight of you. You returned the expression wholeheartedly.

Chanhee held his breath, muttering a "Yikes" under his breath, while Ten observed the interaction with slightly parted lips. Huh.

"Ji."

"Ln."

You deposited the tray onto the table and your biceps sighed in relief. Those four cinnamon rolls truly were quite hefty on their own.

You could still feel Changmin’s eyes on you as you slid onto the stool across from Ten. “Something you’d like to say to me?” You addressed him with ill-suppressed snark.

Changmin’s eyes narrowed. “Nothing that you’ll take into importance anyway. Just didn’t think you would ever hang out with someone from the dance department.”

“Ten’s got a life outside of dance, Changmin,” you replied. You flashed him a thin-lipped smile. “He gets it.”

“And you’re so much better than me for having a so-called life,” he rolled his eyes. “You know, some people are just really passionate about dance—something you seem to still not understand.”

“I really don’t think you want me to bring up the trove of things you don’t understand—”

Chanhee subtly moved over to Ten’s side as the two of them observed the sparring match between you and Changmin. A sigh fell from his lips, and his eyebrows raised up all the way to his pink-dyed hairline.

Ten had taken one of the plates of cinnamon buns in front of him, silently offering Chanhee some. The latter refused, and Ten began to peel away one of the sultry, sweet dough layers. “Is this… normal?” He asked Chanhee under his breath, motioning to the still-bickering couple across from them.

Chanhee snorted. “It’s their mating call.”

It seemed he had said those four words loud enough to catch yours and Changmin’s attention. A miracle, indeed.

“Ew,” both you and Changmin immediately grimaced at Chanhee. Then you looked at one another with a greater degree of disgust. “Stop copying me!”

…Or, less so a miracle, but rather, a tragedy.

Chanhee let out a haggard sigh, eyes sullen to a deadpan. “One of the few things the two of you will ever agree on.”

“The last thing we’ll ever agree on,” Changmin grumbled as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket. “C’mon Chanhee. We should probably order before JC!Yn and Kei finish loading up the car.”

Changmin was already making his way over to the cashier when Ten managed to get in a final question, “Are you guys coming to the NCT-RVE homecoming tonight?”

“Sure—”

“No.”

Chanhee sent Ten an apologetic look for Changmin’s brusque answer. “Sorry about him. We were thinking of it, but he might be practicing with Juyeon tonight. See you later, Ten—and Yn!” He chased after Changmin, ambushing his friend by practically leaping onto his back and then smacking his shoulder.

Now that Changmin was away from you, the red in your vision had begun to clear away, and you finally remembered the set of delicious cinnamon rolls waiting for you.

Ten propped his cheek against his fist. “So… you and Changmin…”

You made a sour face as you cut off a slice of your cinnamon roll. “What about the gremlin?” You asked. As soon as the buttery, sweet delight hit your tongue, you felt your body lighten and you did a little happy dance in your seat.

Ten chuckled at your behavior. “Lovers gone wrong?”

You choked on the bite.

Your new friend’s eyes widened comically to the size of saucers as he literally pounced across the table to pat your back. “Shit—sorry, Yn. I probably should’ve waited for you to finish swallowing, huh?” He winced when you’d managed to breathe correctly and washed the bite of food down with a sip of coffee. He returned to his perch, letting you recover while he talked through his thoughts. “I don’t mean to pry—actually—” he paused, reconsidering, “—I do mean to pry. Sorry, I’m kind of a sucker for this kind of stuff.”

One of your eyes squinted at him as you massaged your throat. “Yeah, I kind of figured.”

He beamed at you boyishly, the kind of expression that almost had your defenses slipping. Almost. Ten was one slippery fellow. For some reason, you kind of respected him for being upfront about the nosiness, and if you were being honest, if this drama wasn’t yours, you would also be curious about the whole thing.

“Can’t help myself sometimes,” he confessed with a mere shrug. “You don’t owe an explanation or backstory, of course.”

You sucked in a breath, opting to hold back on eating your pastry until you and Ten were done with this topic. “I’m just going to say that Changmin and I were not ‘lovers gone wrong’,” you said, body shuddering.

“Mm,” he hummed. His eyes wandered behind you and over your head, swiftly followed by the action of waving to Changmin and Chanhee on their way out of the cafe. “It’s just interesting to me. Didn’t you just advocate for him the other night at the draft show?”

That rang a bell, unfortunately. “It’s complicated.”

Ten pressed his mouth into a saccharine smile. “I can imagine.”

EPISODE THREE: OFF THE PHONE

THERE was an avid knocking at the laboratory door, usually done by those who didn’t actually work at this specific lab. This lab area was usually reserved for upperclassmen and graduate students and their work.

“Yn-ie, could you get the door, please?” You heard Kun called out to you from his office. It wasn’t just the two of you tonight, but rather, just a few others you didn’t know as well as you did Kun. He often worked late hours like you did, always overworking himself even more as a fresh grad student. You, on the other hand, were trying to finish up this one research paper resulting from last quarter’s research project. If you were lucky, you would be able to send it off to be peer reviewed soon.

You slipped out from behind your workbench and maneuvered the maze of workbenches to head out into the corridor. Exhaustion wore at your bones from having such a long day, but you really did need to get some productive work done so you could focus specifically on your midterms approaching at the end of this week and the beginning of the following week.

However, as you turned the corner into the corridor, you nearly missed your footing. At the end of the hallway where the glass door to the outside was, you found yourself identifying one Ji Changmin and his friend, someone you didn’t recognize. The latter wore a gray hoodie beneath a black puffer vest, and he reacted the opposite to how Changmin did when they caught sight of you.

“Hey! Could you open the door, please?” Not-Changmin hollered through the glass, furiously shaking his sweater-pawed hand down at the door handle.

You didn’t want to. God, you really didn’t want to.

Changmin stared you down, as if daring you to come closer.

You opened the door, and let the cool gust of late February air and two outsiders into the safety and warmth of the laboratory building.

Hoodie Guy shuddered violently to get the cold out of his system. “Jesus, it’s cold outside. Thanks,” he said to you. Then he nudged Changmin with his elbow, as if jolting the man into reality.

“What are you doing here?” You asked, words directed toward Changmin in particular.

His dark bangs were tucked beneath a black beanie with his pair of black headphones hanging around his neck. “You think I want to be here?”

His friend sent him a look, his eyes flickering between you and Changmin furiously until the pieces clicked into his mind. “Well, uh oh…” he muttered while turning away slightly to scratch his head. He gathered his wits then. “Uh, Yn, right?”

You perked up. “Yes.”

“Uh,” he drawled. “We’re actually here for Jacob Bae. You see, we told him we’d come pick him up to take him over to—”

“Is he here?” Changmin asked.

Your eyebrow shot upward. At least they were here for a proper reason. You crossed your arms over your chest, glancing back toward the main laboratory floor way down the hall. Man, the safe zone felt so far away. “He actually just left like, ten minutes ago. Sorry.” The apology was said to Changmin’s friend, the one who seemed to have been able to figure out who exactly you were to Changmin. Not that you were anything to him. And did Changmin just talk about you to all his friends or something—?

“Oh.”

Changmin tapped his friend with the back of his hand. “C’mon Sunwoo. We’ll just meet him over there.”

Sunwoo wrinkled his nose. “I just think it’s weird that he didn’t text us to let us know before we came over here.”

There was a pause and you could practically see the gears in Changmin’s head turning. You would have left them to their own company, but you technically weren’t allowed to leave unauthorized students alone.

It was strange seeing Changmin break into something akin to sheepishness. You saw the dimples appear in the apples of his cheeks as he cupped the back of his neck. “I might not have told him we were coming…”

Sunwoo’s eyes and mouth widened and he whacked his friend with the length of his hoodie sleeve. Changmin let out one of those hyena laughs that set off triggers in your mind. It’d been awhile since you heard that… “Hyung! You’re so unreliable sometimes, oh my god. Even Eric would have remembered to tell him!”

Changmin made a noise of dismissal, slinging an arm around his friend. “Ah, it’s fine. We’ll just meet him there—as you said.”

“Worst texter award goes to,” Sunwoo rolled his eyes.

“I guess some things never change.” The words slipped out of your mouth before you could stop yourself, and both Sunwoo and Changmin suddenly remembered that you were in the hallway with them. Sunwoo had perked up as if he were surprised you would even comment on their situation, but Changmin cut an unreadable expression your way. You didn’t want to read into it.

“You literally forgot to answer a text I sent for three days,” Changmin quipped.

Well, if he was going to play the back and forth game. “That was once out of how many other times,” you scoffed. “You refused to answer anyone’s texts in the mornings anyway, so don't get on my case about that.”

“He did that to you, too?!” Sunwoo cut in with fire behind his words.

You could’ve sworn you saw the slightest bit of blush grace Changmin’s cheekbones as you hid a laugh behind your hand. “He did that to everyone—”

“Hey, I’m better over call; you know that!” Changmin argued. “Sunwoo, you can’t even talk about being a bad texter. I have to hunt for you on discord sometimes to get a straight answer.”

Sunwoo groaned, “Yah! Whatever. It’s still better than your average three-business-day reply speed.”

Changmin stammered, “It is not an average of three business days.” If your ears were not deceiving you, Ji Changmin was whining. “It’s a couple hours at least.”

“A couple hours means half a day,” you said to Sunwoo.

Changmin whipped his attention back to you, finger jabbed accusingly in your direction. “Hey, missy! You always fell asleep on-call, even when you promised that you would stay up to help me study.”

You shook your head. “Not my fault! You know that I always fell asleep around midnight back then.”

“Well, back then—”

“Is everything okay out here?”

Everything in the corridor came to a stand still, and Changmin closed his mouth, mid-sentence. Kun had his head poking out of the door to the main floor, a crease pressed between his brows and right above the rim of his thin spectacles. He eyed the two non-laboratory students with a slight grimace. Of course, Kun was aware of who Changmin was. He could recognize him because of his famed performer reputation on campus, but he knew his history with you because you had spent far too many late nights here at the lab with things plaguing your mind. You and Kun both had a problem with trouble sleeping and being workaholics.

You turned slightly to Kun. “Yeah, everything’s okay, Kun-ge.”

He sent you an unimpressed look.

“We,” Changmin piped up as he urged Sunwoo to the door, “were just leaving.” The mirth and fire from the bickering just a few seconds ago had faded, and you could feel him slipping away.

Kun drummed his fingers along the doorframe, eyebrows shooting up for a second. “Oh-kay… Yn-ie, Ten says he’s right around the corner and asks if you want some company walking home.”

The door to the laboratory behind you was held open, and the night breeze brushed through your hair. When you looked back, you saw that Changmin had stalled in the door for a second. But, it had only been that second before he and his friend were gone.

“Oh.” You made your way over to Kun. “That’s really cool of him. I’d love that.” Some company on a late-night walk back to your apartment did not sound bad at all. You’d done plenty of trips on your own, but sometimes having even one person with you would have been nice.

Kun nodded, pursing his lips, as the two of you walked into the main lab together and toward his office off to the side. “Okay, I’ll let him know. You’re for sure okay though? That must have been… not nice, seeing Changmin here.”

You gave a stiff shrug, your hip leaning against the door of his office while Kun settled back at his desk. “It’s fine,” you said. To be honest, you weren’t even sure if that was a lie or not. You’d heard Changmin laugh for the first time in years. You’d seen the dimples in his cheeks, the sheepishness in his expression—you swallowed.

Once upon a time, you associated all of those things with something like happiness. Your happiness.

Kun fixed you with a pointed look. “If you need to talk.”

You gave a firm nod. “I know where to find you.”

He clicked his tongue, shooting you a finger gun, then shooed you off to finish your work and pack your things. Ten was just around the corner, after all.

EPISODE FOUR: OFF THE RECORD

CHANGMIN liked to think that he became nosy, and that he wasn't born this way. But ever since he overheard that Kun guy asking about Ten wanting to walk you home, he couldn't help but wonder…

He shook his head, brushing his hair out of his eyes and off his forehead, before those same bangs flopped back into their place. He walked back onto the main stage of the performing arts hall to the soundtrack of a hype playlist blasting from the ears of his headphones. As he made his way past groups and individuals doing their own thing, he absentmindedly searched for one person in particular.

Conveniently, he found Ten setting himself up right by Changmin's things. He was shouldering off his black puffer jacket, rolling the material up into a manageable ball to shove into his duffle bag.

"Hey," Changmin greeted, bending down slightly to grab his water bottle.

Ten straightened and flashed him a smile. "Hey."

It wouldn't be awkward would it? Probably not. Just be cool about it, Changmin. He smiled slightly, the dimples in his cheeks disarming his acquaintance. "I didn't know you and Yn were close."

Your name felt so… foreign, yet familiar, on his tongue. It was like tasting déjà vu, like eating a treat from childhood that had been associated with good feelings, but he couldn't decide if it was still as good as he remembered or a trick of his mind.

The mention of your name brought a jolt of energy to Ten's body and Changmin saw the man lean into the conversation. Curious… "Oh? Well, I mean—" he gave a shrug, "—she's really cool. She just seems like a good person to get to know, y'know? Why do you ask?"

Changmin couldn't tell how much he trusted the slight narrowing of Ten's feline eyes. There was no way you hadn't mentioned him to Ten at some point or another. To be honest, he didn't like the feeling of you still lingering in his head if he didn't linger in yours. It meant a myriad of things that he loathed to admit.

He let the feeling slide away, let his mouth tilt upward like his eyes to the spotlights in the ceiling. "Just be…" He shook his head. "Nothing. It's nothing." He flicked his wrist, as he spun his water bottle cap on tight. "You can forget about it."

Ten sent him a look that Changmin pointedly ignored.

Somewhere within the depths of the performing arts center, Changmin could hear the howling laughter of his friend Hyunjae as he most likely bugged his best friend out of her mind, both to her chagrin and her delight. That was another can of worms entirely.

Ten piped up as he settled onto the backstage floor while Changmin mentally went through some of the problem sets he had to review today. "If you don't mind me asking, why are you and Yn on such… uneven ground with each other?"

There it was. Changmin snorted. "Uneven ground? I don't even know if we're on the same ground."

"You're both really friendly people," Ten added, "so it just doesn't make sense to me."

Changmin pursed his lips. He never felt the need to divulge this stuff to anyone but his friends, but he didn't know what Ten already knew. He didn't know what you told him, but based on the fact that Ten wasn't looking at him the same way you did… Changmin scratched the back of his head and leaned his side against the wall to face him. "Something happened a long time ago. I guess we just both hold a grudge well."

Ten huffed a laugh in response. "Remind me never to get on your bad side then," he joked.

— ✶

There was a buzz about the university newspaper room. The Daily had only a handful of crew members onboard, mainly because it was so selective. Over the past few years that you had been apart of the staff, you and a few others had gradually loosened the reputation of the Daily's elitist interview process—there was still some level of intimidation that ensured the publication took on the hard workers and not those simply looking for an extracurricular to put on their resume though.

So when there was talk of a new staff member, everyone knew about it.

You let yourself in the door with a sigh, brushing the hair from your eyes held up with a random, blue claw clip you found on your bathroom sink. The bus had been late this morning because it broke down, but you luckily were able to make it to your lecture on time. You had run over here for a quick meeting that Kim Doyoung had summoned you for, no doubt about the new hire.

"Hey guys," you said as you passed by clusters of desks piled with copyedits and heads buried in monitor screens. The sounds of typing stopped briefly with each head you walked past:

"Yn!"

"Hi Yn!"

"Sup Yn—HEY! I just did my hair this morning!" Mark yelped, hands smoothing down the braids in his hair.

You giggled as you patted his head. "Your hair needs a break, Mark."

As you disappeared around the corner, you heard him shout back, "So do you, but you never hear me complaining!"

You rolled your eyes with an ill-concealed smile. The door to Doyoung's little editor in chief office was right down the hall next to the office for the sponsoring professor. As much as you and the others teased him about getting the "Boss man" office, he always complained to you about being on edge with the professor's office next door. You didn't quite understand since Professor Woo was almost never in his office anyway, but you supposed you could see.

Doyoung's door was open, and the fourth year's head perked up at the sound of your voice and nearing footsteps. He didn't even wait for you to knock or say hi, before beckoning you inside. "Yn, thank god you know how to hustle. Close the door on your way in. Thanks."

Your eyebrows shot up at the terseness in his tone, but didn't question him until you'd closed the door and settled into the chair opposite him. His desk, much like those outside, was covered in a sea of paper, with his laptop being the only land in sight. "What's up? You sound stressed."

He shot you a look over the rims of his thin glasses. "When am I not stressed?"

"Valid."

"Okay," he began with a sigh that made your concern rise just a bit more, "you know the situation with our performing arts review section, right?"

You nodded. "Of course."

The situation with the performing arts review section of the paper was inherently a mess. For a handful of years, the performing arts section was written under a pseudonym (lovingly dubbed Opera Glasses)—the identity of the reviewer was anonymous—which was a product of an incident a few years ago where a performer was unhappy with a review left by someone on the paper and came to ask, very unkindly, for a rewrite. Since then, the paper had been swallowed up by so much that finding a permanent writer or reviewer for the section became less and less of a priority.

When you joined the publishing team, it had been in the middle of freshman year when you were also putting your application out for research projects. Joining had felt like the right thing to do, as much as it was an act of rebellion against your mother and your childhood. They had asked if you knew anything about dance of all things.

And well, you did know.

You'd written one piece—one piece that was entirely you. It had been for one of the dancers just debuting at his first winter showcase. Since then, you couldn't stomach writing another one or watching another one.

You ghost wrote, you edited, you advised—but you stuck to putting your energy into covering the STEM-related sections of the paper now.

So Doyoung already knew your relationship with the performing arts review section. "Well," he cleared his throat, making a vague flourish with his hand, "I'm sure you already know that I just interviewed a new prospective recruit. I was wondering if you would be willing to take them under your wing and to show them the ropes."

Oh. That wasn't exactly what you expected him to say. Your heart kicked up for an entirely new reason, however. You'd always wanted to be someone's mentor. To be someone's older sister. "I mean, yeah. I'd love to," you stammered, a smile slowly curling onto your lips. "That would be really cool."

Doyoung sighed, his shoulders sinking in relief. "Thank you."

"But wait." You cocked your head to the side as you asked, "What does Opera Glasses have to do with this?"

"I want her to eventually take over for it," he explained. "She knows quite a bit about theater and music—little less about dance, though. I know that you have your issues with the dance department, but out of everyone here, you probably understand dance stuff the most. I just ask that you help her out a little with that, and maybe even introduce her to some of the people there so we can ease her in with interviews—"

You opened your mouth to interrupt him, but he sent you a pointed look. He continued, "Just hear me out, okay? If you're uncomfortable at all, you can back out. And you don't even have to back out right now or completely; maybe you could have Mark introduce her to Jungwoo for interviews, and you can just stick to the behind-the-scenes stuff."

Doyoung exhaled. "Okay, so what are your thoughts?"

You worried your bottom lip between your teeth. What did you think… What did you think?

Even the thought of stepping foot into a practice room made the yelling and screams echo in the caverns of your mind. But you'd missed them—missed the polished wood floors, the floor-to-ceiling mirrors, the people. God, you couldn't even stay away from the people if you tried, no matter how much you tried convincing yourself you could.

You weren't fooling anyone.

You swallowed. You'd always wanted to be a big sister.

What was the harm in giving this a try?

(Changmin. You'd probably run into Changmin a lot more often than if you didn't accept. But you could see him from that one night: the sheepishness, the dimples, the laugh. Why couldn't you get over that interaction?)

You mustered up your courage and straightened in your seat. "I'll still do it. When do we start?"

EPISODE FIVE: OFF THE MARK

IT turned out that Doyoung intended for you and your new recruit, Bae Sumin, to get started right away. With the winter showcase only a couple weeks away, it was imperative that the two of you dived right in.

"—so what made you interested in joining the team?" You asked, shoving your hands into your jacket pockets to hide signs of nervousness from your underclassman peer. The two of you were walking from the Daily's newsroom and over to the performing arts center. It was about a ten minute walk, but you figured that it would give you two the opportunity to get to know one another.

Sumin was a multimedia major, as you had been told earlier when the two of you just met for the first time in the entryway of the Daily newsroom. She was cute and well-dressed—she wore a pleated skirt and sweater with a white collar peeking through. Her smile was dazzling, and reminded you of someone who would do well on stage. No wonder she had theater and performing experience.

"Oh!" She shot you one of those dazzling smiles, her hand shooting up to shift the white, fluffy earmuffs seated over her head. "I actually had a cousin who came here and shared with me some of the Daily's earlier issues. She always said it was kind of competitive to get in, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to try."

You bobbed your head. "That's really cool." A small laugh fell from your lips, "I'm glad you did try! Lots of people just assume they're gonna get turned away and they don't try at all, you know?"

Sumin hummed in understanding.

Something had settled nicely in your chest throughout this walk. Even if your past anxieties were beginning to bubble up to the surface at the sight of the nearing performing arts buildings, Sumin's easy conversation calmed you. It was one less thing to worry about.

Yesterday, when Doyoung had proposed this job for you, you had asked Mark to accompany you and Sumin to the arts buildings. He couldn't walk with you two, but he promised to meet you there. Now, you were kind of glad you got to have this bit of bonding time with her.

“I think Doyoung said that I should introduce you to a few people in particular,” you said offhandedly and pulled your phone out to check yours and Doyoung’s text thread.

Sumin did the same, most likely taking out any notes she had taken from Doyoung’s instructions. “Yeah, something like Lee Minho, Kim Jungwoo… the Hwang?—the Hwang siblings, uhm and Ji Changmin…?”

Your footing faltered for a second, and Sumin asked if you were all right, but you recovered quickly. You let out an embarrassed laugh, feeling heat crawl up your neck. Why in the world did his name catch you off guard like that? Maybe it was because you assumed Doyoung would just let you avoid Changmin, but realistically, if Sumin was going to do an interview with the dance department’s most prominent members, then there was no avoiding Changmin.

You just had to suck it up and be an adult about it.

It was three years ago… What was the big deal?

But as you moved to open the door to the backstage area for Sumin with your ID card, you felt your throat tighten in on itself. You forced a smile to your face as you let Sumin go in before you so you could turn your head out to inhale a large lungful of fresh air. Then, you ducked in after her.

The backstage corridors were as hustle n' bustle as you expected them to be. The lights were dim-looking from the black walls and floors marred with scuff marks from years upon years of use. It was an overwhelming tidal wave of sensory details—what, with the clashing sounds of chatter and music, the smell of some kind of polish (or maybe that was resin?), the warmth of energy in the air and all around you.

The hairs on the back of your neck stood like you could sense someone was coming this way.

You gestured down the opposite direction to Sumin. “Come on; I’m pretty sure they’re down this way.”

It was a curious thing, memory. You could recall late nights of catching the bus to these very practice rooms and backstage rooms from when you were in high school. Performing on the stage was a whole other experience in itself, and though part of you missed it, there were other feelings that dominated the hints of nostalgia now.

You could hear the chatter even clearer now, even if their words were muddled.

The door to one of the larger practice rooms were left ajar, and though you only peered in, you felt the warmth hit you like a wave. Your throat was closing up again—breathe—

“Hey,” you said into the room, catching quite a few eyes. From an initial scan, you determined that Changmin wasn’t amongst the crush of people socializing in here, and you couldn’t identify the feeling manifesting in the pit of your stomach.

Jungwoo was the first to bound over toward you, swiftly followed by Minho and Hyunjin, one of the Hwang siblings. “Yn-ie! I can’t believe you actually came. I thought Doyoung was joking.”

A smile made its way onto your lips and you accepted Jungwoo’s side hug. “Yeah, well Doyoung doesn’t joke around.”

“He really doesn’t,” Hyunjin said with a grimace. “He’s kind of scary, that one.”

“If you can survive Minho,” you said to him, “then you can survive Doyoung.”

Minho made a face at you. “What have I ever done to you, Yn?”

Nothing; this is just me trying to pretend I’m not seconds away from quivering like a leaf in the wind. You laughed. “Nothing yet. Guys, I'd like you to meet Sumin. She’s our new recruit at the Daily, and she’s gonna be the one conducting interviews for the winter showcase this year.”

Sumin didn’t need much prompting to smile and wave at your friends in that same charming way. “Hi, nice to meet you!”

The three dancers before you replied in kind. Jungwoo offered to introduce her to some of the others in the room, and before you knew it, she was swept away.

Hyunjin made a comment about needing to go check up on a friend of his, leaving you and Minho chatting to the side of the room.

“Wow,” Minho said offhandedly as the two of you watched Jungwoo and Sumin work their way around the room, “she’s a natural at this. Where’d Kim find this one?”

“She saw some of our older issues,” you replied. You watched as Sumin ignited a sort of brightness in every conversation she started. You struggled to swallow; now that you didn’t feel obligated to keep up appearances, especially in front of Sumin, your jitteriness was beginning to come on just a little stronger. You absentmindedly massaged your throat, willing it to loosen up.

Minho glanced over at you, his eyes catching your anxious actions. “Must have a lot of confidence in her if he’s throwing her straight into taking charge of interviews. How’re you holding up?” The latter was said lowly and under his breath in case someone just happened to be close enough to catch onto your conversation.

Minho didn’t know your history with the dance department as thoroughly as your close friends did, but it didn’t take a genius to see that you weren’t at your absolute best right now. You gave a stiff shrug. “I’m alright,” you managed to say.

He nodded, though it was probably more for your sake than him saying he believed you. “It’s funny,” he drawled, “one might think that by sending you here on behalf of the paper, that you were behind Opera Glasses.”

Now that, you could let out a genuine chuckle at.

Minho gauged your reaction but smiled to himself. He wasn’t one to really care for the drama and gossip side that came privy to the performing arts review section, but you couldn’t blame him if he was curious.

“That would be really stupid if that was the case,” you mused.

“It would be,” he agreed. “Is this a sign that this will be the end of Opera Glasses then? Finally a face to the name?”

You pursed your lips. “Actually, I’m not too sure what Doyoung will end up doing. I’m sure he’ll call for a board meeting to decide what the review’s fate will be, but it’s not exactly our top priority—”

Your voice and words trailed off as your eyes met a pair coming into the practice room. You and Changmin froze at the sight of one another, two deer caught in headlights, and you felt your heart palpitate violently in your chest. Your breath left your lungs—his expression was filled with surprise, until it morphed into something you couldn’t read.

“What are you doing here?” He deadpanned.

Minho’s eyebrows shot up. “You didn’t know Yn was stopping by? We all got the email from Director Lee, man.”

Changmin pressed his mouth together and it made the dimple in his cheek deepen. He looked you up and down, and he opened his mouth to say something else, but paused when you unconsciously brushed your thumb against the hollow of your throat. (Dear god, why couldn’t you breathe? Breathe, breathe, breathe—)

He seemed to lose whatever he was going to say. You swore the sharpness in his gaze softened.

But then his jaw tightened; you didn’t know why. “I didn’t think you’d actually show,” he muttered under his breath.

Ouch.

The words from his mouth pricked uncomfortably at the back of your mind. You found your voice again. “I’ll be gone before you know it,” you replied tersely.

Your response touched a nerve for him, too. He cut his attention to the rest of the practice room. “Where’s your new girl?”

“Over there,” you said, inclining your head across the room where Sumin and Hwang Yeji were currently swapping contact information. Something soared in your chest at the sight, but you couldn’t tell if it was pride or envy.

Without any additional prompting, you watched Changmin make his way toward Sumin and away from you. You didn’t realize you were holding in a breath until you finally exhaled—

“Yn! Sorry I’m late.” Mark bumbled into the practice room, wiping a drop of sweat from his forehead as he quite literally crashed against the wall next to you and Minho. He was panting and gasping for breath, and you and Minho couldn’t help but express your amusement.

“It’s all cool, dude,” you assured while patting his head.

“I should probably get back to it,” Minho said as he began walking away from you and Mark. “Nice to see you, Mark. Feel free to take a water bottle from the green room.”

Mark thumped his head against the wall with his eyes closed. “Thanks, man,” he huffed.

With a snicker under his breath, Minho went his separate way.

You gave Mark a moment to catch a breath or two, and you slid down next to him against the practice room wall. Folding your knees up against your chest, you copied Mark’s position with his head tilted back as you both inhaled through your nostrils and breathed out through slightly parted lips. While Mark might have been trying to get a moment of rest from (no doubt) running here from the bus stop, you were trying to steady yourself.

The anxiety was starting to make your hands feel numb cold.

“You don’t have to stay, y’know,” came Mark’s voice, followed by the back of his hand gently nudging your arm. When your eyes fluttered open, you found him already looking at you. “You asked for my help; you can go take a breather outside and come back in—or maybe don’t—whatever you’re comfortable with. This can’t be easy.”

You were struggling to swallow again. One of your hands drummed messily against your kneecap. “It’s—” you shook your head, “—I’ll be okay. Thanks for coming though.”

“Yeah, dude. Of course.”

Something prodded at the side of your head, like someone was staring at you, but when you turned to see, it was just Changmin talking to Sumin. They were both smiling and making good conversation, it seemed.

You let out a sigh and closed your eyes again. Wishful thinking.

— ✶

Mark stayed behind to “vibe” with the remaining dancers still at the performing arts building while you and Sumin pushed out into the crisp, cool evening. Even after walking all the way to the bus station, your hands were still numb, and the cold definitely wasn’t helping.

“How do you feel about the dance interviews now?” You found yourself asking Sumin as the two of you sat on the bench at the station waiting for the bus to come pick the two of you up.

Sumin beamed. “I definitely feel a bit more secure about conducting them. I’ll definitely need some help with dance terminology and editing and stuff though.”

You nodded. “No problem at all.”

“The people are all really so chill and nice…” Your eyes definitely weren’t tricking you when you saw the bashfulness that her expression took on, and the little giggle you heard could not have been the wind. “Especially Changmin.”

Ha. What.

A weight fell to the pit of your stomach. Maybe you were hearing things… “Sorry?”

She blinked, and the blush on her cheekbones darkened. “Oh, haha, it’s nothing! I just… he was really sweet, and he has a really pretty smile and stuff—do you—uh, do you know if his previous dance showcase performances are online?”

(Something about that detail—he has a really pretty smile—rang a bell for you.)

It was really an innocent question, but you knew if Sumin went searching online for Changmin, and if she went deep enough, she’d find you there, too. You sucked in a breath. “I can—” you winced inwardly, “—send you some of his performances, if you want?”

You couldn’t deny the warm and fuzzy feeling in your chest when Sumin practically lit up at your suggestion. “Would you? I would really appreciate it, Yn! You’re the best.”

From your periphery, you saw the bus approach from down the street, and you gestured for the both of you to stand up and get your ID cards ready to board. You sent her a small smile—at least it felt good to help her out. You could pretend for a second that this was just a little crush or infatuation on some other colleague of yours that Sumin had. “Yeah, no worries.” No worries at all.

EPISODE SIX: OFF THE [TOP OF YOUR] HEAD

FRIDAY night brought you, Seungkwan, and Doyoung to the hotpot place located in the university district. The three of you were the unconventional combination of your friends, but Kun and Ten were supposedly on their way over as of five minutes ago. Thus, with the last of your party nearing, the three of you deigned to begin ordering almost everything off the menu—just to whet your appetites, of course.

Doyoung slumped down in his seat across from you and Seungkwan as soon as the waiter left to input your table's hefty order. "Ugggggggh."

Seungkwan snorted. "Ah, my favorite sound."

Doyoung passed him a dirty look over his lenses. "Is that sarcasm I hear, Boo Seungkwan?"

"I have no idea what you mean," he said with feigned innocence as he looked away and scratched the side of his head.

You chuckled to yourself, drawing your phone out from the inner pocket of your puffer jacket when you heard the series of buzzes. Your screen lit up with notifications from Sumin, all of them thanking you profusely for the spam of links you'd sent her way. These were on top of the videos you had dug up from your secret locked folder in your phone—and here you were, wondering why in the world you were doing this to yourself and for her?

"I can't decide if I dread Doyoung's noises of discontent or your expressions of pain more," Seungkwan commented, effectively pulling your focus away from your phone.

Both of your friends were now looking at you, patiently awaiting your answer to what ailed you tonight. Where should you begin?

"I'm not in pain," you scoffed. You set your phone facedown on the table next to you to avoid looking at the notifications. Huh. "Did I look like I was in pain?"

Doyoung's smile was wide like his eyes as he nodded. "Yup," he chirped in that sweet sarcasm of his. "Like you'd just watched a video of someone stubbing their toe against a doorframe."

Seungkwan blinked. "That's so—specific."

"You do not want to know what my For You Page looks like—"

You recreated the look of pain from earlier, holding your palm up. "Respectfully, Doie? I don't."

Seungkwan let out another snort of delight and had to hold a hand in front of his mouth.

Doyoung leveled a half-hearted scowl at you. "You're lucky I'm not your boss right now."

"As opposed to every other moment in time?"

"You have a mouth on you tonight."

"I do like to use it every so often," you quipped, the corner of your mouth lifting in an amused smirk.

Doyoung sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "I don't get paid enough for this."

"You're literally not getting paid at all—" Your words were sliced off at their end when you gasped—it was all a blur: a mass of reddish-brown hair, your phone snatched from right in front of you— "SEUNGKWAN!"

Seungkwan held his breath with an impish grin as he turned his back to you and shielded your phone from your attempts to get it back. "I just wanna see!" He said with a cackle. "Every time you've looked at your phone today, you looked like you wanted to fall into an abyss."

You glared at him, pulling away to cross your arms firmly over your chest. "You can't just steal my phone, dude!"

"What's so important on your phone anyway, Yn-ie?" Doyoung asked good naturedly, reaching for his glass of ice water. "You're usually not so attached to that thing."

Your lips snapped shut and you wondered if the heat creeping up to your face was obvious.

"You've been sending Changmin videos to Sumin?!" Seungkwan bursted out, his eyes so wide that you could see your reflection in his pupils. As you'd feared, Seungkwan still had his fingerprint registered into your phone from before (long story; don't ask), and had cracked the device open, as well as your most recently opened application—yours and Sumin's text messages.

You did nothing but stare at the table like you were getting war flashbacks, while Doyoung had even gotten up out of his seat to take a peek at your phone, too.

"I haven't even seen this video before," Seungkwan hissed as if you weren't right there.

You fixed them both with a stink eye, but at the same time, maybe this was for your benefit. They could help you without you actually asking for help—

Doyoung's face contorted into a laughable expression of shock (eyes wide, mouth wider, eyebrows pinched, nose wrinkled) as he viewed what Seungkwan had selected. "Oh my god. He's a child in this!"

"Actually he was a senior in high school—" You slapped a hand over your mouth. Whoops.

Both of their heads whipped over toward you. "I thought you deleted all your high school shit!" They chorused together. If it had been any other situation or context, you might have laughed at the hilarity if it all.

Instead, you averted your gaze, making a show of looking for the waiter or maybe even Kun or Ten. What was taking them so long anyway?

"Yn," Seungkwan addressed with a tone akin to that of a parent on the verge of lecturing their child, "what in the name of god are you sending Sumin and why?"

Helpless, you held both your palms up in a sheepish shrug. "The kid has a crush on him, and being the best mentor figure ever, I… did some compiling for her." You paused, "Now that I say it out loud, it does sound pretty stupid."

Doyoung returned to his seat. "Ya think?"

You wrinkled your nose at him. "Hey! Sometimes, some of us have bad nights and we wanna feel something." Out of context, this was a really suspicious conversation.

"Isn't this just you torturing yourself?"

Seungkwan slapped his hand against the table, and both you and Doyoung startled. "That's it! I'm calling for an intervention."

Your mouth parted open. "Right now?"

He deadpanned at you. "No, when Kun and Ten get here—of course, right now!"

You returned his deadpan expression. The adrenaline from all this back and forth was slowly fading, and what you were left with was something that felt like emptiness. So… now they knew.

Doyoung and Seungkwan exchanged looks with another from across the table, but it was the former who spoke first. "Why do you still have videos from back then, Yn-ie? I thought you told us you deleted them all?"

"I mean, we're not trying to be judgmental or anything," Seungkwan added firmly, but not unkindly, "they're your videos and photos, your past and memories, but… based on everything you've already told us before, wouldn't it be best to delete them?"

You didn't like the emptiness. The adrenaline had stripped you of energy and confidence when it faded. "I," you stammered, "I just… I couldn't bring myself to delete them." Your voice was quiet, almost inaudible compared to the liveliness of the hotpot shop around you and your friends. "I mean, how could I? Sometimes, I want to watch them and try to find the courage to say that I'm sorry first."

Yeah, you wanted to feel something. That "something" was actually a lot of things—courage, happiness, nostalgia, anger, melancholy, love, passion, pride. A life and childhood you had lost; who's fault was it but your own? You felt nothing short of pathetic.

Seungkwan frowned deeply, his eyes softening. He leaned forward and drew you into his embrace, his hold warm and comforting. "Oh, Yn. I'm sorry; I shouldn't have pried like that."

You wrapped your arms around him, eyes shuddering closed. "Yeah, you shouldn't have."

He grunted into your shoulder, a noise of defiance and attitude.

Doyoung had a similar expression of sympathy present on his face. You didn't often see something like that from him, but after years of friendship and working together, you'd begun to see a lot more of him. "I'm sorry too, Yn. It probably still hurts, and I know I was probably really insensitive when I asked you to introduce Sumin to the dance department—"

"Hey guys! Sorry we're late."

Everyone jolted at the sight of Kun and Ten arriving at your table. Kun sent Ten a sharp look along with a sharp jab with his elbow for interrupting. Kun shot you an apologetic look. "Sorry, we didn't interrupt anything, did we?"

You shook your head as Seungkwan pulled away. Doyoung and Seungkwan were both looking to you to make the decision of whether or not you would let Kun and Ten in on the prior conversation.

No, you didn't want to put a damper on dinner any longer. "Ah, no worries. We were just… discussing a couple work things. What took you guys so long?"

Luckily, no one (namely Ten) called you out and the two newcomers slid into their respective seats. Dinner would arrive soon, and you could fill your belly with something other than negative thoughts for once.

— ✶

boss bunny: hey, i didn't get a chance to say this earlier, but i'm so sorry for expecting u to introduce sumin to the dance dept

boss bunny: i didn't think at all abt how that might trigger u, and i still want u to know that u can back out whenever u feel uncomfortable. seriously.

your phone: it's okay, doyoung. i get it, i really do. and i promise that it didn't feel like u were forcing me or assuming that i would do it either

your phone: i knew it would probably trigger me like this too, but i kind of really wanted to be someone's mentor yk? it just… called to me ig

your phone: sounds kind of sad lol

boss bunny: nonono! not at all :( i understand that too

boss bunny: i admire ur strength, yn

your phone: DOIE 🥺

boss bunny: …okay love u and all, but let's not use that emoji yeah? T-T

your phone: okay wtv 🤧 now stop texting cuz ten is starting to realize ur not slick at this

boss bunny: AM TOO. >:(

— ✶

"He kept looking at his phone and then at you, like, every five seconds," Ten giggled, his shoulder absentmindedly brushing against yours as the two of you strolled side by side through the numbing cold night. Dinner had concluded just about half an hour ago, and while Kun ferried Doyoung and Seungkwan home, you and Ten decided to head down a few blocks to get milk tea and hang out.

You clapped your hands together in delight, your laughter lighting up the night. “That’s what I’m saying! He just wasn’t subtle about it and he kept arguing with me that he was.” You shook your head, tongue darting out to lick your lips, “It’s okay though. I think Dad Doyoung’s antics are charming.”

Ten grinned. “Dad Doyoung? I think he’s more of an uncle; ‘Dad’ is Kun’s title.”

“Fair enough.”

“Ayo, Ten!”

Both yours and Ten’s heads whipped upward at the sound of his name being called. You didn’t actually recognize the voice, but when you saw the lineup of four young men coming toward you from the opposite end of the street, you didn’t need to recognize it. Because, well, you recognized their faces.

Huh, you had been running into Changmin and his like a lot more often recently.

Heading straight for you was Changmin, Chanhee, Juyeon, and—you thought his name was Kevin. Kevin was the one who had called out to Ten, and he waved excitedly over to your friend. Based on Changmin’s not-so-subtle frown at Kevin, you could assume that this was not expected. Maybe he was going to advocate crossing the whole street to avoid you.

“Oh, hey Kev!” Ten greeted back cheerily, glancing at you beside him. “Do you know Kevin and Juyeon?”

You bobbed your head. “Briefly,” you replied. The two of your groups met in the middle, two blockades in the smack middle of the sidewalk. Impromptu meetups like this always seemed to end up clogging up the sidewalk for some reason.

After a swift greeting, Chanhee was already gesturing to the direction his group had already been headed in. “Hey, I’ll probably run up the street and get us a table. Haknyeonie says the tables fill up fast after eight o’clock.”

Juyeon perked up. “Oh, I’ll come with!”

Chanhee made eye contact with Changmin from across the group, and a silent form of communication passed between them. You watched this happen quietly, standing to the side with your hands tucked into your pockets while Ten and Kevin caught up from the last time they saw each other (apparently, it was a drawing and painting course from last quarter). However, instead of leaving with Chanhee and Juyeon, Changmin lingered with the three of you.

He naturally came to stand semi-close to you since he wasn’t exactly a part of the “drawing and painting” conversation. The frown from earlier had disappeared, though, and you didn’t know if you could call that a win or not.

Perhaps to you, the tension between the two of you was palpable. There were… far too many things up in the air at this moment, and it was nearly impossible for you to figure out just one thing to start with.

Plus, now was no time to get into all of that baggage. You needed to finish that intervention with Doyoung and Seungkwan before you could handle that kind of conversation—at least, that was what you would have preferred.

But for now, you found yourself clearing your throat and sparing him a glance. “Hey.”

Changmin’s eyes darted over to yours in ill-concealed surprise. “Hey.”

And that was that.

Luckily, Ten nor Kevin dragged on their conversation longer than it needed to be, and soon, you and Ten were passing by Kevin and Changmin as both parties went their separate ways. (You were going to pretend that you hadn’t looked back to watch Changmin walk away. Definitely not.)

“All good?” Ten asked, though, his voice was quieter than it had been before.

You could meet his eyes and nod. “Yeah.”

Ten followed up with an idle sort of humming noise, like he was one of those really loud computer fans (what in the world led you to think of that—?), “A few days ago, I kind of asked Changmin what the deal between the two of you was.”

“Oh?” Nervousness bubbled up the column of your throat. “What’d he say?”

He gave a shrug. “Something like a long-standing grudge.”

You let out a laugh that didn’t exactly sound like a laugh. “Well, I guess that’s one way to put it.” Was that how you would put it? In a way, that was what it was, but there was so much more to that, wasn’t there? Did Changmin think so little of what transpired between the two of you or was he just trying to deflect Ten’s interrogation?

The two of you had arrived at the tea shop by now, and Ten opened the door for you. The shop’s insides were warm and bright, and the tables were already filled up with fellow students who decided to hang out with friends on their Friday evening. You and Ten shifted over to the self-order kiosks to the side of the room and continued your conversation in low volumes.

“How would you put it then?” He asked. When you looked over at him, you realized that there was something scarily disarming about his eyes. “No pressure, of course. I mean, you can call me out on being nosy whenever; I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

You pursed your lips as you turned back to the screen to absentmindedly swipe down the page to find your preferred order. On the inside, you fought for the right words. “Changmin and I were best friends since we were kids,” you started, inputting your preferred level of sugar and ice like clockwork, “and we met through dance.”

Ten nodded to signal he was still listening, and the two of you swapped places so he could input his order.

You cracked your knuckles and rubbed your palms together to generate some kind of heat between them. “I didn’t really like dance at first. It was just one of those things my parents put me in to occupy my time after school and while they were working. But… well, you know how Changmin is with dance—it was and is his livelihood.”

“Even then?”

A nod. “Even then.”

When your orders were paid for, the two of you moved to a quiet corner of the shop to wait for your number to be called from the counter. You leaned your side against the wall next to Ten, your eyes staring blankly at a crack in the floor. “He was actually the reason I grew to love dancing,” you confessed. “As we got older and went into high school, sneaking out to practice together and performing together on stage became as easy as breathing air and as normal as…” You shook your head. “It was just a lot easier I think, back then.”

Ten tilted his chin toward you. “What happened between you two, Yn?”

You swallowed roughly. “In my first year of high school, my parents got divorced. I always suspected it would happen, but my mom kind of changed after that.” Your eyebrows crinkled as you recalled the memories of your early teenage years and tried to grapple with an adequate way to express them aloud. “And, to be fair, the more I danced, the more I didn’t want to focus on school work, but my mom became really hard on me about all that and I started to crack down on that stuff.

“Eventually, she got tired of taking me to dance practices and shows, and she blew up at me about how useless dance was going to be if I was going to become a doctor or something like that.”

Ten heard your number being called and nudged you to follow after him. He handed you your drink, and the two of you pushed back out into the chilly night. You didn’t really know where you were trying to go, but you didn’t really care. You both ended up in one of the small parking lots squeezed between two fast food restaurants, and you sat yourself down on the curb.

You continued, “And so, she would purposely forget to come home in time to take me to competitions and rehearsals. By the time I realized she wasn’t coming, I was already late every time. I would start walking myself there and taking the bus instead. Changmin started noticing that I was slacking, but I…”

“He didn’t know?”

“No.” You didn’t want him to know. Maybe it was your stupid pride that was preventing you from admitting that aloud. Maybe you were ashamed that your mom wasn't as accepting of dance as his parents were. You let out a shuddering breath and watched it come out in a visible puff in front of your face. “She made me grow spiteful toward dance,” you said stiffly. “I would be trying to stretch or practice movement in my bedroom while studying for exams, and she would come in and berate me.”

The yelling echoed in your mind, all too vividly. Your mother never physically hurt you, but there were still scars. “She’d discourage me from rehearsals or signing up for competitions by telling me I was nowhere near good enough, that dancing wasn’t going to put food on the table, and that I was—” A complete disappointment. You could pick those exact words out of a line up.

Ten’s eyes glistened with silver in the amber glow of the streetlight above you. “Jesus, Yn. I’m so sorry; that’s—that’s awful.”

You didn’t know how to accept the sympathy, even after having received so much from your other friends already. No matter how many times you retold your story, it was never quite right or in the way your brain wanted to portray it. You didn’t want to portray anyone as the villain; you figured that maybe you could have done something back then to prevent this. (You couldn’t have, actually, and that was the most difficult part to accept.)

“Yeah,” you murmured, setting your drink on the ground as you curled in on yourself slightly. “Anyway, by senior year, Changmin was obviously really into dance and was probably really stressed about auditions and end-of-the-year competitions. We basically… we basically took out our anger on each other. He said some things, I said some things. The rest is history.”

It was quiet for a moment as you let the words sink into the open air. Your chest loosened a bit after being able to tell another person about it, but for the most part, your hands still trembled. You reached for your drink again to take a sip and to force some kind of liquid down your throat.

After a while, Ten piped up, “Yn… I hope you know that you are not whoever your mother was trying to make you believe you were. You’ve probably realized that already—or maybe you’re still working on it—but please know that you’re probably one of the strongest people I know. It must have been really hard for you and I…” He exhaled, “Sorry, I’ve never been great at this.”

You sent him a small smile in return. “It’s okay; I still appreciate it.” After a beat, you added, “I know I act like I hate him, but I still want to see him succeed. I can’t think that ill of him, especially when he wasn’t the only one at fault.”

“Ah, that’s why ‘it’s complicated’, huh? I get that.”

“Yeah.” Your hands—god, if they could just stop shaking—

Ten reached over and covered your hands with one of his, and you let the heat of his palm warm yours. “You’re doing great, Yn. You know that, right?”

You couldn’t choke out an answer to that. You could only really say, “I just miss him sometimes.”

A sad smile. “I know. Maybe he does, too.”

You wanted to laugh, or maybe cry, at that. Anyone who got in the way of Changmin’s passions was no one to him. You would know exactly how that felt.

EPISODE SEVEN: [ROLLS RIGHT] OFF THE TONGUE

WHENEVER Changmin was feeling unsure of himself, he would retreat to his safe space: the practice rooms. Even if it was some time in the ungodly morning, like 2am as it was now, he would make the trek beneath molten gold streetlights and barren cobbled streets. It was the one place where he could focus his energy solely on dance, and forget about everything else.

Once upon a time, it had been your safe space just as much as it was his.

Changmin huffed a sigh as he hiked up the remaining flight of stone stairs that led up to the backdoor area of the performing arts building. It was a handful of hours since he and Chanhee parted ways with Kevin and Juyeon after enjoying dinner together. Chanhee was probably dead asleep by now—he was probably going to wake up and continue studying for his exams anyway.

As he turned to his right, his breath hitched as he caught sight of someone standing right outside the door. Usually, he had no trouble getting in and security wasn’t exactly strict in this area of campus. In fact, he almost never bumped into anyone, as strange as it sounded. Maybe he should have counted his blessings.

But then he recognized your jacket from earlier this evening, the very same one you were wearing while walking next to Ten—practically squished up against each other, two peas in a pod. He didn’t like how irked he was by that detail. He still couldn’t wrap his head around the fact that you had said “hey” first.

You weren’t looking at him, rather, your body was completely turned toward the door as if you were trying to decide whether or not you should go in. You were as still as a statue, frozen in time.

The moment, however, faded as quickly as it had come. You must have sensed his presence, and your head whipped around to face him.

There.

His heart leapt into his throat—dear god, why did you look so afraid? And then he noticed that you weren’t frozen still, but rather, channeling all your energy into keeping your body from trembling. Were you cold? What were you doing here so late? Why weren’t you with Ten?

He watched your throat move as you gulped. And then you were walking toward him—no, past him—wait, come back— “So that’s it?”

The grip he had on his duffle bag strap tightened when you stopped next to him just as you were going to walk past him toward the stairs. Your gazes clashed like a pair of twin lightning bolts slicing through the night sky. There had always been a sort of energy between the two of you, and when you were young, he had been so very attracted to that kind of power, one so similar to his… he didn’t think he was mistaken back then.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You said, still there. Your voice was low, but he could detect the edge.

He didn’t know what it was supposed to mean; he just didn’t want you to leave without knowing why you were here. Were you looking for him? “You’re not gonna say anything to me? Why are you here?”

(He swore it wasn’t supposed to come out that brusque-sounding, but he also didn’t know what it was supposed to come out sounding like…? He felt like he didn’t know you anymore.)

There was a narrowing of your eyes, and you both angled your bodies to face one another like a standoff. “No one said I had anything to say to you. And I—” You tripped over your words, “—I don’t know why I’m here. That’s why I was leaving.”

Oh.

Why was he disappointed by that answer?

“So you’re not here with Ten or something?” He asked, unsure what else he could say to keep you here, even for just a couple seconds longer.

Your mouth curled. "Clearly not. Why are you so pressed about me and Ten?"

Changmin pressed his lips together. "I'm not." Okay. Very believable.

The face you made said the same thing. "Okay, yeah. I didn't expect you to care so much anyway."

For a reason he loathed to admit, anger spiked in his blood and he felt the distinct need to defend himself. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know," you replied sarcastically, your volume rising, "maybe it's that you've never really cared that much about things that concerned me in the first place?"

"Now that's rich coming from you."

Your glare pierced his. "Oh, please. As soon as I started slacking—god, it took so little for you to just abandon me."

His jaw fell slack. Where the fuck did this conversation just turn to? "Abandon you? You abandoned me!" He exclaimed, finger flicking between the two of you as if he could impale both of your chests with the sharp edge of his accusations.

"How could I have possibly been the one to abandon you?" Your face contorted with so much more emotion than Changmin had ever seen from you over the past three years. Suddenly, he could see the underlying desperation and devastation hidden beneath the lines of bitterness and anger. His heart sank, but his blood still boiled and pumped. He couldn't get the distinctly awful hole in his chest to stop aching. He could remember exactly when you just stopped coming to practice with him. He could remember exactly the day he gave up hope.

"You—" you stammered, your hand flying to your throat. It was the same action he had seen from you just a few days ago while you were in the practice room. He recognized it as a habit of yours for when you were anxious or overwhelmed because your throat closed in on itself. If that wasn't enough to make him want to lay down his sword… "—you stopped caring. When did you stop caring? I just want to know."

Everything went silent for him, just for a split second. You thought… you thought he stopped caring? How could he ever stop caring about you? Wasn't that why he was so upset in the first place?

And when the world zapped back into play, he was sure his skin was ashen. His throat bobbed. "How could you think so little of me?"

Your forehead creased. "Little? Changmin, you were everything to me."

Dear heart—

You were shaking your head and taking a step away from him then. "You couldn't possibly understand."

Just like that, there was fire in his veins again. "That's because you never gave me a chance to understand!"

You threw a look back at him and again, he could read everything there like an open book, so much unlike the wall he had been met with all this time. "And I can say the exact same thing about you. If you think I kept things from you, Ji Changmin—" you said with the undertone of a snarl, so fierce that, as you turned on your foot to face him again, your breath came out like that of a dragon's smoke, "—then how much have you kept from me?"

His nostrils flared and his hands gestured wildly, vaguely—he pressed his palms to his eyes with a haggard sigh. "Why are you here, Yn?" He asked again, finally. He lowered his hands and took a step toward you. "Are you here just to pick a fight with me?"

You paused.

He watched you open your mouth, then close it.

You pursed your lips, finally murmuring, "No. I didn't come here for you."

For some reason, that hurt even more.

— ✶

The practice room was colder than it usually was.

Changmin kept the lights dim for the sake of his stinging eyes, and he dumped his duffle bag in the corner of the room before making a beeline for the aux cord for the speaker system. He hooked up his phone and opened up his music files, his forehead pressing against the cool mirror wall.

For a moment, he simply let his eyes flutter shut and his lungs to breathe.

You were long gone by now, and Changmin considered just going back to his apartment, but he knew he would just lie in bed awake for hours if he did.

When he opened his eyes, he swiped out of his music and instead went to a file kept deep down in the depths of his storage. He had purposely named it so it would remain at the absolute bottom of the list when alphabetized, and the pass code on it was supposed to dissuade him from accessing it.

Supposed to.

He punched in the four digits of your birthday and the lock clicked open to reveal a hefty file of video after video. There were photos of you, too, somewhere, but the videos were all at the top of the file because of their size. He didn't know what he was gonna do when his phone ran out of storage; he figured that when that day came, it would either be when you and he finally figured shit out, or he got closure and could delete them all.

He sighed.

His thumb hovered over one of the video files near the top, one where he could see your face in the thumbnail.

When he opened it, his younger face filled the screen. His tongue poked out from his lips as he carefully settled his phone against the wall next to yours as both of your phones recorded the run-through that was about to happen.

"Changminnie! Come on, I'm starting the song!" Your voice echoed against the practice room walls, and his laughter soon followed as he scurried into place next to you.

Changmin watched his younger self transform his expression into something more serious, while you had looked at him through the mirror and burst out laughing.

Younger Changmin broke his facade, the dimples in his cheeks deep, his smile bright. "What?"

You grinned back at him. "Sorry, sorry! Nothing; it's just interesting how you can just shift your facial expression like that."

"You have to practice like you perform though!"

"I know, I know. I just like your smile better, y'know?"

Changmin could see the hearts in his younger self's eyes. Jesus, had he really blushed that hard? Younger Changmin cupped the back of his neck bashfully. "Really?"

You punched his arm playfully. "Yeah. It's really pretty, Changmin. I thought I told you this before."

"Well yeah, but it doesn't hurt to hear it again—yah! Hey, I can bite back, you know—!"

Changmin's eyes shuddered as the familiar melody of the song flowed into his ears. He abruptly slammed his thumb down onto the pause button.

No, he couldn't stomach hearing it. Not when he could recall every move from memory and not when he had no partner to complement those moves. It just reminded him of the gaping hole in his chest and the emptiness of this room.

"Let's get to work, Changmin," he muttered to himself as he swiped out of the folder and back to his music files. He had an actual to-do list in mind, after all, and it did not include a dive into the forbidden folder. (No matter how much he needed to hear your voice again, for once, not arguing with him.)

EPISODE EIGHT: OFF THE HOOK

"HE'S been pissy all morning—"

Changmin suppressed a groan of frustration as he heard his friend's voices nearing the dressing room he was in. All morning, the performing arts building had been a madhouse, even worse than the night of the draft showcase. Everyone just decided to be here today, whether they were his fellow dancers trying to score a practice room, one of the prospective actors auditioning for a part in Hyunjae's best friend's thesis play, or one of the tech members trying to make sure everything worked behind the scenes.

Changmin had gone from room to room in an attempt to find an empty one where he could have some peace in working on his own. He would have just gone home at this point, but Chanhee was stressing over his own exams, so Changmin was stuck here.

So taking all of that into account, including the rough encounter he'd had with you a couple days ago, plus a lack of sleep and coffee—not the happiest squirrel on campus.

(How could you just drop a bomb like "You were everything to me, Changmin" in his lap and expect him not to think of anything else for days on end?)

The door to the dressing room he was hiding in cracked open, and all of the cacophony from the outside flooded in, as well as a crush of his friends.

"Don't you guys have class?" Changmin moaned, his hand coming up to rub his sleep-deprived eyes.

"Well, yeah, but this is much more fun," came Younghoon's teasing chuckle as he walked over to Changmin and clasped a hand on his shoulder.

Changmin made a face. "I just wanted some peace and quiet."

Sunwoo scoffed. "Peace and quiet? You've come to the wrong place, hyung."

"Yeah," Hyunjae added on, "might as well take a break for once and come watch auditions with us! HJ!Yn needs help judging people anyway."

Changmin cocked a brow at the blond. "You should call Chanhee for that then. Shouldn't you be out there, Younghoon?" He nodded toward the tall, lanky drama major present.

Younghoon shook his head, bouncing on the balls of his feet. How did he have so much energy? "Nope. I'm auditioning for a part, so she's gatekeeping me from watching."

Changmin turned from his friends slightly as he reached down for his phone that he had situated on top of the small bluetooth speaker he had the good sense to bring. Then again, maybe he should have just stuck to earbuds… whatever. He was too tired to care. Part of him wanted to add to the chaos anyway.

"What's her thesis play about again?" He asked no one in particular. Sunwoo waddled over to him and stole his phone right from his hands and began browsing through the music selection.

"It's a modern take of one of Shakespeare's plays: Much Ado About Nothing," answered Younghoon. "It was really funny actually, like the original play. Lots of matchmaking, lots of stupidity. I think they dump someone in a lake..."

Hyunjae perked up. "Oh yeah! That was probably my favorite part of the whole script."

Changmin chuckled. "I was expecting you to say something like 'the whole thing's my favorite because my best friend wrote it'."

"Oh, no, that still applies."

Changmin, Sunwoo, and Younghoon all exchanged knowing looks with one another. Mhm… so they thought. There were a few too many in their friend group who had interesting relationships with their other friends. Exhibit A: whatever the fuck was happening with Hyunjae and his.

Hyunjae caught their silent communication and furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

Sunwoo snorted, but Younghoon was the one to drawl, "It's absolutely nothing."

Changmin pressed his lips into a cheeky smile, brushing the bangs from out of his vision. Hyunjae's lips quirked to the side in a frown, but didn't make any comment on it. It wasn't a new reaction from the group, by any means, but… oh well. That would be a tale for another time.

With that being said, Changmin followed the three of them out of the relative privacy of the dressing room and out into the hustle-bustle of the main backstage corridor. As soon as that dressing room was vacated, however, somebody was swift to occupy it. Changmin cursed inwardly; guess he wouldn't be able to come back to that room later.

With the switching of theater leadership over the past year (a changing of the guard, if you would, but with professors and sponsors), the management of the entire performing arts department was a mess and a half. There were a few stand-out graduate students and undergraduates who were keeping everything in check for all of the events happening over this year—like Hyunjae’s best friend, Lee Jihoon (a graduate student specializing in sound and music production), and Moon Taeil (a graduate who was a soloist in the chamber choir).

As the four young men made their way closer to the immediate backstage, the sound miraculously dulled down. The lights were a lot dimmer here, as the spotlights were turned toward the main stage. Changmin spotted a few people scattered throughout the backstage area with phones or folded script packets in their hands as they recited their lines to themselves, with some even making exaggerated facial expressions and grand hand gestures.

Hyunjae’s best friend was one of the up and coming director-screenwriter “prodigies” that the drama department championed. She was a year older than Changmin was, and he didn’t need to be a genius to know that there were a crowd of people vying for a role in her graduating thesis play. It must have been stressful as fuck, but he knew that she had a good head on her shoulders—

“—I’m gonna stop you right there.”

HJ!Yn’s voice resounded from the other side of the hefty velvet curtains separating the backstage from the main stage. Hyunjae made a show of pressing his index finger to his lips to signal his friends to be quiet—Sunwoo thus made a show of rolling his eyes (“Duh, we’re gonna be quiet.”). They all huddled to the side of the curtain and poked their heads out to see what was going on.

The university performing arts hall was likely one of the most magnificent places on campus. It featured a vast array of floor seating, while also boasting three levels of balcony seats. Changmin remembered once briefly learning the anatomy of the theater seating: the floor or nosebleeds, the slightly lofted box seats, the grand circle, loge circle, and upper circle—the gods. It was all very antiquarian, but it was a place Changmin had become quite familiar with over the years.

The director herself sat in the dimmed nosebleeds section, in the smack middle. Someone had dragged out one of those plastic, foldable tables for her to set her paperwork and a small, battery-operated lamp on top of.

Curiously, sitting next to her was none other than Bae Sumin, your new recruit.

Changmin straightened, accidentally bumping into Younghoon’s shoulder as he did. “Sorry,” he whispered.

Younghoon shook his head to say that it was all good, his hand lifted in acknowledgement.

“Did you know Sumin was here?” He asked his friend.

Younghoon’s expression was thoughtful. “I think so? I left to go find you when I thought I heard someone say they saw her come in. Why? Did she not tell you when the dance department interviews were gonna be held?”

Changmin recalled receiving no notice. “No. I—I figured Yn would be here, too, then. Right?” Was he ready to face you again so soon? Would you even acknowledge him this time—?

Younghoon passed him an amused glance with a small smile fitted over his face. “That would make sense,” he murmured with his arms crossed over his chest. One of his hands reached up to idly massage his jaw. “I’d imagine she would be with her friends, somewhere around here. Though, it would also make sense that she would be sitting with Sumin, too. Then again—”

“You are… no help,” Changmin deadpanned.

His friend chuckled lowly, eyes upturned into slim crescents.

“Uh Jihoon-ah?”

Changmin and Younghoon’s attention flitted over towards the far side of the backstage and they watched as a girl chased after the resident sound producer graduate student. He was, perhaps, smaller than one might anticipate from the intimidating man, but he still harbored so much scary energy and talent within his body. Like all of the staff on the technical team, the pair were clad in all black.

Jihoon glanced up from his clipboard and at the girl. “Hm?”

The girl nodded toward the curtains. “Director is calling for a break and is asking if the house lights can be turned on.”

“Ah okay, come on then. Follow me.”

As the two of them strode across the length of the backstage, the girl’s eyes found Changmin and Younghoon, and… She was looking past him now at someone else. She lifted her hand in a small wave, paired with a smile, “Hi, Sunwoo.”

Changmin whipped his head around, only to realize that Hyunjae had disappeared, but Sunwoo was now standing on Changmin’s other side. He watched in utter delight as his younger friend flushed, even in the dim lighting, at the girl’s greeting. His eyes were wide as he squeaked out a quick, “Hey!” in return.

When Jihoon and his charge had gone out of view, Changmin turned on Sunwoo with a hyena cackle. “Oh my god! Who was that, Kim Sunwoo?”

Sunwoo seemed to shrink into the collar of his hoodie. “No one.”

Changmin’s laughter lit up the room just as the house lights thunk-thunk-thunk’d to life. Younghoon had slipped away, most likely to meet Hyunjae in the nosebleeds, which left only the two of them there alone. “Do you have a crush on her?”

“Yah! You’re such a menace,” Sunwoo groaned, whacking Changmin with the extra length of his sweater paw. “You can’t even talk, dude! You’re in love with a girl who can barely stand to be in the same room—” Sunwoo realized his slip up and slapped a palm over his mouth.

Ouch. The truth hurt, didn’t it? Changmin chuckled, though it was noticeably quieter now. “Well, you’re not wrong—” He shook his head, eyebrows creased together, “—wait, no. Wait, I’m not in love with her!”

Sunwoo rolled his eyes so hard he must have seen his brain up there. “Oh, please. The last time you were drunk and emotional, you showed us that secret little folder in your phone.” He jabbed his finger accusingly at the phone in Changmin’s hand.

Changmin scowled, pressing his phone to his chest as if to protect it in case Sunwoo decided to have wandering hands. “That was told to you in confidence!”

“No, it was told to me in a drunken stupor—” The two of them began to make their way back toward the edge of the curtain, ducking out from its shadow and onto the main stage. Hyunjae and Younghoon were indeed in the nosebleeds now, but Sumin was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she had only been here to observe the audition process. “And you guys say I’m the lightweight.”

“That’s because you are the lightweight.”

Just as the two of them hopped down from the stage and onto the ground floor of seats, Juyeon came in from the doors located at the back of the seats. He raised a hand in greeting to all present, cheerfully waving with that golden retriever-esque grin. “Hey guys! Oh, Changminnie, I was just looking for you.”

Changmin’s eyebrows flew up. “Oh? What’s up, Juyeon?”

Sunwoo retreated into the rows up where Hyunjae and Younghoon were, while Changmin met up with Juyeon in the rightmost aisle.

Juyeon threw a thumb behind him toward the direction he had just come from. “Sumin was asking if you would be willing to do your interview right now.”

His eyes widened slightly. “Right now?”

“That’s what I just said, wasn’t it?”

Changmin pressed his lips together, before nodding. “Uh, for sure. Yeah, lead the way.”

The two dancers hiked their way back up to the back of the area and through the door Juyeon had originally entered through. The main lobby was much less crowded—it was practically barren, which made it the perfect environment to conduct an interview in. Sumin was setting herself up at one of the couches, setting her laptop, phone, and coffee cup on the coffee table opposite to her.

She raised her head when she heard the door open and close, and a bright smile graced her features. “Oh, you found him! Thanks, Juyeonie.”

“Yeah, no problem,” he chirped. “I’ve got a couple things to handle first, but just ask someone to come find me once you and Changmin are done.”

With Juyeon swiftly taking his leave, Changmin was left to take a seat on the other end of the couch that Sumin was sitting at. “Hey, nice to see you again, Sumin,” he said, crossing one ankle over the other and resting his arm along the back of the couch.

The corners of her smile widened. “Nice to see you, too, Changmin! Sorry this was so sudden; I figured that I could get started on some of the interviews while I was here.”

“Oh, yeah, no worries,” he chuckled.

She reached for her phone, fidgeting as she swiped to a simple recording application. “I hope you don’t mind me recording this…?” At his consent, she nodded. “Okay, cool. I did wanna say something before we started.”

He sat up just a bit. “What is it?”

There was a sort of twinkle in her eyes, and if he wasn’t mistaken, her manner became a lot more bashful all of a sudden. “I have to confess that I asked my mentor, Yn, if she could send me some of your dance performance videos and I’m literally in awe of your talent. Like, I wanted to tell you how starstruck I am just being able to tell you this right now, but I just wanted to say this before we started.”

He broke into a boyish grin at this, his dimples becoming craters of joy in the apples of his cheeks. “Ah, thank you—that really means a lot,” he smiled.

Sumin added on, one of her palms pressing against the couch cushion as she leaned toward him slightly, “I mean, I don’t even know how Yn was able to find videos of you from high school, but I’m so glad she did, because—”

Wait what. Changmin was watching Sumin’s mouth move as she talked but he wasn’t truly hearing what she said. His humble, albeit a bit dumbfounded, smile remained, but her words from just before resonated in his head. There were definitely a few of his dance performance videos online from his high school days, but did you keep links to them? Did you keep the recordings on your phone?

The fact that Sumin asked you meant that she probably had no clue about your past, only that you were the person Sumin could rely on if she had any questions.

What did it mean? What did it mean?

His heart pounded in his chest at the thought that maybe he could possibly have an excuse to get you to talk to him, even if it was one, truly dumbass excuse.

“—ready?”

Changmin snapped out of his dazed state. “Sorry?”

Sumin blushed slightly, clearing her throat. At some point, she had pulled her laptop onto her lap and prepped her phone by placing it in between the two of them to record the following conversation. “Are you ready to start?”

He coughed, straightening and adjusting his position. “Oh, yeah—uh, sorry. Yeah, whenever you’re ready.”

Sumin gauged his reaction carefully, but instead of pressing the record button, she hit the power button. “If I may, you seem a little distracted. I don’t really want this to feel like a burden if you’ve got a lot on your plate.”

Shit. “No, I mean,” he shook his head, “I’m sorry. I guess my mind just wanders really easily when…” He huffed a sigh, dragging a hand down his face. “I’m a little tired, that’s all.”

“I totally get that,” she sympathized. “You’ve probably been practicing non-stop lately for the winter showcase. We don’t have to do this today if you’re not in the right headspace.”

He sighed and couldn’t help but feel just a little relieved. He needed to talk to Chanhee about this, math exam or dance practice be damned. But there was a part of him that definitely felt awful about having to cut off her interview even before it began. He gestured to her phone. “How about we reschedule? We could meet up sometime else during the week to redo this and I promise I’ll be all yours.”

He didn’t know what he did, but the pink on her cheeks deepened to a cherry red. “Oh, uh, sure!” She giggled, taking her phone and passing it over to him. “You can just put your phone number in there and I’ll text you to ask when you wanna meet up.”

Changmin nodded his agreement and swiftly inputted his contact information into the given slots. “Definitely,” he said before handing her phone back to her. The phone fumbled between the two of them, but Changmin was already standing up with the goal to go retrieve his bag (wherever it was), and to go consult Chanhee and the man’s infinitesimal opinions. “Really sorry again, Sumin.”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it!” She dismissed his worries with a flick of her wrist. “Would you mind finding Juyeon, though?”

Changmin sent her a thumb’s up over his shoulder on his way to the door. “Yeah, for sure.”

She returned the gesture, watching as he disappeared out of the main lobby. It was only when he was definitely gone, she covered her mouth with her hand and stared at his saved contact in her phone. Then, with a silent scream of happiness, she ran to her text chain with you to tell you all about it.

a/n: PLS STILL REBLOG THIS PART EVEN THO ITS NOT THE FULL THING PLS PLS PLS IM BEGGING

read part two here (also linked at top)

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[from-a-reckless-writer]

part i 

She comes to with a pounding in her head and the feeling of something being lifted off her chest. 

Literally. 

In seconds, her whole body feels lighter. The next thing she registers is a hand in hers. When she stirs, the hand around her tightens and she hears Brainy’s voice, “Director—”

The moment she opens her eyes, she is met with Alex Danvers; a stethoscope slung around her neck and a small flashlight on hand. In her periphery she confirms that it was indeed Brainy, holding her hand. 

“Lena, Lena, look at me. You’re at the DEO, you’re safe, you-”

“Alex, I know the drill, this is—  what? My 91st time now?” She says dryly as her hand slowly slips out of Brainy’s and her fingers massage her temples; eyes clenched shut. Alex visibly relaxes in relief, “Good. Thank fuck your sarcasm’s still intact,” she says, “But I still have to check you, alright?”

Lena nods and she guesses Kara most likely had harassed her sister just to get her hooked in. If Alex mumbling “-so damn stubborn all the damn time…” under her breath was any indication. 

She’s well aware of the other person in the bed next to hers. The one, that is now also starting to stir into consciousness. Lena had just noticed that J’onn and Nia are in the room as well, near Kara’s bedside. 

She wants to ask how she got here, how Kara found her, how the fuck did a Black Mercy get her? But everything is spinning and her coherence is slowly devolving to exhaustion. Her brain was pushed to its limits with that illusion. 

Which makes panic flare in the back of her head thinking about how Kara had seen her ideal world. 

A world, that her mind had fucking decided should center around her ex. Her ex who just happens to be a superhero. A superhero that pulled her out of her own delusions. 

Oh God, Lena thinks she’s going to throw-up. Alex takes one look at her face and immediately shoves an empty sterile container to her. She dry-heaves unto the bucket as Brainy rubs her back and holds her hair. 

“Fuck,” she whispers as Alex hands her a tissue to wipe her face. “Your vitals are fine. Your brain activity spiked for a few seconds there. But you got out at just the last minute-”

“What the fuck happened, Alex?”

She asks as she tries to sort out all her feelings long enough for Alex to give her a full explanation. 

But it isn’t Alex who answers her. 

“I found you.”

The three words are bullets flying across the room directly shot at Lena.

“Unconscious. On the floor. Black Mercy attached to your chest. That’s what fucking happened.”

Kara sounds like shit.

Was her first thought when she heard Kara speak. She guesses she looks like shit as well, but Lena can’t be certain. Her back was to her as Nia removes the wiring still wrapped around her. Her voice was firm, but Lena knew better. She knows Kara; knows she never really swears; knows when and where Kara uses the Supergirl voice. When she’s scared and she doesn’t want anybody to know. 

“Your pulse was so weak. I- I could barely hear it.”

This second statement is in contrast to Supergirl’s venom. This time words catch in her throat and Lena is fucking thankful that Kara’s back was to her. Because she knows she can’t handle those eyes. But before she could answer, Alex starts to speak, eyes briefly darting to Kara.

Lena doesn’t know whether she should be thankful for the interruption or not. 

“Which is why,” Alex cuts in and making sure to stress her next words, checking that Lena is listening, “I need you to stay here till we find out who did this. And as your doctor I’m saying you need at least 12 hours of rest.”

“What? No, somebody give me my phone. I need to call Jess,” she protests and Alex looks like she’s about to give Lena a piece of her mi—

“Are you kidding me right now? I found you on the floor, thinking you were dead, pulled you out of a parasitic trap and you want to go back to L-Corp? To what? Get killed again?”

This time, Kara’s two steps away from her bed and fuming. It makes Lena...feel...things.

“I have to call Jess—”

“Do you not get it? I spend my days trying so hard not to listen,” She grits out, “ To not to check in on you every single second of every day and then the one time—” Kara’s conviction crumbles, voice breaking, eyes shining.

 “And then,” she falters, voice heavy with emotion and tries to control herself.

“The one time, the one fucking time I decide to break my own rule, what do I hear? I hear nothing, Lena.”

The last part is a whisper. She’s shaking and all eyes are on them now.

“Do you know why? Because your heart-rate was so slow that I couldn’t pick up on it.”

Kara looks like she’s two inches away from imploding. Lena’s heart is pounding and the room falls silent and it feels like it’s just the two of them in the room having a staredown. 

“I— I’m sorry. I—”

I didn’t know. I didn’t want to know. I didn’t want to care. I’m sorry. 

“Thank you for saving me,” she voices out instead in that calm methodical way she uses when talking in the lab. Amazed at how she sounded because she herself is also less than two inches away from a complete meltdown. 

Kara’s shoulders visibly sag as she holds back tears. Lena knows she should probably say more but... she doesn’t really know what to say. 

She was still processing everything. 

It was so vivid that Lena was half-expecting to see a ring on her finger once she looks down, a stubborn part of her brain insisting that there’s a matching one in a chain around Kara’s neck.

Before Kara can say another emotional heavy statement, Lena turns to Alex instead, “Fine,” she says, agreeing to Alex’s previous order. 

“But I can’t stay here for 12 hours. And also, I need my phone, my tablet and my assistant. I’m helping in the investigation,” she says leaving no room for argument.

Alex looks like she might agree but Kara speaks up again.

“No, no. No, you’re not going near that investigation and you’re staying the 12 hours here,” Kara grunts out, jaw-clenched as Lena looks at her with sharp eyes. 

“You have no right to decide that for me—”

“Not to mention we have to tal— “

They both spit at each other at the same time.

“We have nothing to talk about,” Lena objects and she knows how much of a lie that is, but Kara just won’t fucking back down. 

“Nothing?! You’re calling this nothing?! You’re calling the fact that your ideal world was us married, nothing? You’re telling me—” she trails off and scoffs, pinches the bridge of her nose in disbelief, “You’re unbelievable-”

That was what she meant when she said Kara was two inches away from imploding.

“Supergirl.”

J’onn’s voice seem to bring the both of them back to reality and Lena notices how heavy the air in the room has become, how Nia is standing stiffly at the side, how Alex’s eyes keep flicking between the both of them

“That’s quite enough from the both of you,” J’onn says and Kara whips around to face him, Lena was scared that she was going to deck J’onn for interrupting but Alex also intervenes. 

“J’onn’s right.” She puts a hand on her sister’s shoulder turning her away from J’onn. Looks like she had the same train of thought as Lena. 

“My patient needs her rest. So, all of you get out,” At which Nia nods at her with a sympathetic smile and then Brainy is hugging her whispering, “I’m glad you’re okay.” before leaving the room as well. 

“And that means you too,” Alex emphasizes at Kara, who looks like she’s going to shoot lasers out of her eyes at her sister for suggesting such an incredulous notion. 

But Kara takes a breath, gives Alex a hard look to which Alex merely raises a brow in challenge before taking a step back and speeding out of the room, not sparing Lena another glance. 

Once everyone is gone, Lena collapses back on the bed, letting out a heavy sigh. 

“She changed the timeline, you know. And reality too, I guess. Or at least she tried to.”

“What?”

“Before you two became a thing, before beating Leviathan,” Alex recounts,  “She tried to change the timeline to save your friendship.”

“I’m sorry- What?”

She’s sure she looks pretty absurd with the look on her face right now. Kara did what? Kara did that? How did she not know that? How did she not know Kara literally teared apart at space and time just for her? 

“She struck a bargain with a Fifth-Dimensional imp so she can fix everything. Said she’d rather change reality than face the possibility of having to fight you.”

For a moment she feels she’s going to throw-up again. But then again, after what the both of them just went through, Lena’s not surprised. God knows the lengths she would go through for Kara.  

It feels even more visceral now, not to mention it was Alex who told her. 

“I don’t know what the hell happened between the two of you, but God, Lena she hasn’t been the same since. And I don’t really want to know what kind of bullshit the Black Mercy put you through, but I think both of you could really use their best friend right now.”

Alex sits at the side of her bed, putting a hand atop hers for a moment.

“Just think about it, while you rest,” Alex tells her, squeezes her hand and gets up again. 

“You can’t just tell me those kinds of things and expect me to rest,” Lena retorts, making Alex turn her head back to her. 

She’s glad that Alex doesn’t seem to pick sides. When the break-up happened she was expecting the DEO Director to turn up at her front step with a taser and point canons for breaking her sister’s heart. But Lena was surprised when Kelly turned up instead, telling her that Alex is with Kara, so she’s getting Kelly for the night.

The couple didn’t get anything from Kara or Lena that night, despite their various attempts at coaxing the truth out. The night was sobbed away or in Lena’s case, drank the night away; chugged enough wine that Kelly had forcefully pried the bottle from her hands. 

“Look, Lena, The two of you are really overdue for a talk.”

Alex's words bring her back to reality. She pulls a tablet out and Lena’s work phone is retrieved from her pocket. 

“So, talk,” Alex enunciates as she hands over the devices. 

“Because I am locking you here. No going to L-Corp, no trying to escape with Jess and no overworking till midnight. You get to call your assistant, tell her what happened and then you rest. That’s an order, got it?”

“Got it,” Lena grits out rolling her eyes, hiding the fact that she’s beyond warmed by the gesture. Alex merely shakes her head at her before stepping out. The door slides close behind her and Lena is finally left alone with her thoughts.

Alex has a point. Alex has a great point, her mind screams.

But...not ready, is an understatement. She is not ready to talk to Kara about the break-up, much less about why her Black Mercy induced dream is an overtly domestic version of their love story. 

She decides to file it under ‘Things For Later’ which is probably a bad idea. Her therapist would most likely tell her that. Then again, she doesn’t really think she’d be seeing her therapist any time soon. 

How does one unpack a whole alien parasite attack on your psyche in one session, anyway?

***

Alex finds her stood before ruined slabs of concrete. 

“Any updates?”

“We’re skip-tracing all employees from L-Corp between the graveyard shift and the morning shift.”

“Good, I have a feeling it was an inside job.”

Alex lets out an audible sigh. 

“Something you wanna say?” She says as cement crumbles under her fists and dust particles rain over her red boots. 

“Talk to her. “

Kara snorts. 

“You say that as if I haven’t tried talking.”

Alex puts a hand on her shoulder stopping her from launching another punch. 

“Really talk to her this time,” her sister stresses the words in that classic Alex Danvers’ ‘I’m-serious-so-you-better-fucking-listen’ way. 

She lets the words sit in the forefront of her mind, shoulders dropping, fists and arms following suit. 

“We were married,” She whispers and it takes two seconds for it to register to Alex before she steps closer, an ‘Oh, Kara.’ slipping past her lips. 

“We were married and happy. So happy. It felt so real, Alex, it felt so re—” 

Sobs choke her and Alex closes the gap and she lets herself be tugged in a tight, tight hug. Alex rubs comforting circles on her back as Kara’s chest heaves and tears pour. 

The thing about it was, she didn’t even spend more than one minute in that fantasy world, yet her brain acts as if she’s lived that life. As if she didn’t drop smack right in the middle of a stranger’s bedroom and the first thing she saw was a doppelganger of herself and her ex. In bed. Together. 

It was as if everything came to her in one terrifying moment of clarity. Boots in the corner. Cape haphazardly slung. Lena’s work laptop. Chew toys for dogs. Scattered Science books, then— 

Golden rings, on a finger, in a chain.

Mating bands around wrists.

Wedding portrait. Weddin— 

It all hits her at once faster than a whiplash and harder than a superpowered punch; knocking the  wind out of her lungs, until she realizes she was gasping. 

“Lena, we have to go, please. Please believe me, this isnt-” 

“Real. I know-”

“What’s your surname?”

“Luthor.”

Just like you promised. Promised. Promised. 

Always. 

Alex squeezes tighter and Kara is pulled back from the depths. 

Her sister lets her go and steps back a bit to cup her face in her hands; snotty nose, sniffles and all. 

“Hey, look at me. That wasn’t real. And I know how bad you want it to be real. But Kara, nothing will happen if the both of you keep pulling away from each other. Someone needs to take the plunge.”

“She doesn’t want me, Alex. She ended things.”

Alex takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, shakes her head and then lets it all out in one go. 

“Kara. I don’t really wanna say this to your face while you’re sobbing over me. But,” Alex lets out an exasperated sigh with a shake of her head and then lets out,  “Good fuck, that is the most stupid thing to come out of your mouth. I don’t know how to stress this enough but...her IDEAL world is the two of you playing house. What more do you need? She wants you.”

“But she-” 

Alex holds a finger up to stop her from talking. 

“Nope. No. Listen to me, you are being an idiot. Well, Lena is too. But we’re talking about you right now, so… again, you are being an idiot. Just— Talk to her, Kara. How many times do I have to say that?”

Kara goes from sobbing to shocked to skeptical in the few seconds that Alex was speaking. 

“I- I don’t know, Alex.”

“Kara, she wants you. She’s just scared.”

“Scared of what?”

“You won’t find out if you don’t talk to her.”

Well, that was a great response. 

Alex is hoping that it’s great enough of a response to convince her sister.

***

There’s a blue lump on the side of her bed. 

A blue lump with blonde hair?

Lena rubs the sleepiness off and slowly sits.

Kara, it was Kara. 

Kara was asleep, back hunched, head pillowed on folded arms on the side of her bed.

Lena immediately realizes the uncomfortable position she is in, not to mention the cape that is now roughly bundled at the back of the plastic chair. 

She carefully lays a hand on Kara’s shoulder and shakes her softly. 

“Hey, Kara, wake up, hey,” Lena mutters quietly. 

“Wha- Lena?” Kara startles awake and shoots up from her position.

“I- you looked like you were gonna have a back ache so I-uh,” Lena was grasping for words in that usual way she does when Kara’s around. 

“Here.” She pats the space next to her, “Come on, sit here, climb in. We uh- you’re right, we should talk, might as well do it while we’re both comfy, right?”

She attempts at lighthearted conversation, she already knows the next few minutes are going to be the most emotionally draining moments of her— their life. 

Kara hesitates a bit, before nodding and wordlessly hoisting herself on the bed. 

“So, do uh- do you wanna start or should I?”

Again, she was grasping for words. 

“Go ahead,” Kara says barely above a whisper, Lena was kind of hoping Kara would go first but well, here goes nothing. 

“Thank you for coming to get me, I wasn’t expecting you to come,” Lena confesses, she really was surprised when Kara—the real Kara— showed up to rescue her. 

“I’ll always save you, you know that,” Kara butts in, as if what Lena had said was the most ridiculous thing ever. She guesses it is, to Kara’s ears. She did promise always after all. 

“Yeah, I know I just— for a moment there I just thought...well, never mind what I thought honestly-”

“You thought what? That I don’t care about you anymore? That I won’t fly off the moment I sensed you were in danger?”

Well, she’s on fire today. 

“It’s not like that, you know that,” Lena protests but Kara interrupts again.

“It is like that. You thought just because we’re over I don’t give a shit about you anymore. You of all people, know I can’t—” Kara cuts herself off as if in pain, “I’ll always save you, Lena. Together or not. I care about you,” Kara utters, turning her head to meet Lena’s eyes before facing in front again. 

Lena feels like care is a placeholder for something both of them aren’t capable of saying at present. 

She doesn’t dwell on it too much because Kara is saying something again. 

“I think…” She begins with a voice full of an emotion Lena can’t name [read: don’t want to name.]

“I care about you a little too much and that...”

Lena holds in a breath. 

“And that scares you doesn’t it?” Kara finishes and she looks at her again but this time  around Lena’s cheeks are wet. 

Kara puts a hand atop hers and squeezes and the gesture pulls words from Lena’s throat. 

“You wanted everything so fast, Kara,” she whispers, not really trusting to increase the volume of her voice lest it shakes. 

“You were telling me all these grand plans of settling down and staying together and I was still having a hard time telling you ‘I love you’ and-” her voice breaks, “And even though, you kept saying it was okay, that you were just thinking out loud, I saw how hurt you were whenever I hesitated.”

Lena’s mind briefly flashes to all those nights spent with Kara, beside her and just feeling this massive fucking pressure of living up to what Kara wants. Shy I love you’s and fear, just so much fucking fear...and insecurities screaming at her that she isn’t what’s good for Kara. 

“I- I couldn’t give you what you wanted and I just kept thinking was it me you really wanted? Or was it this domestic bliss that you’ve conjured in your head? Something you can have with somebody else. And it just kept spiraling from there. Thinking somebody better can give you what you want, somebody who’s not tainted, somebody who you can be proud of, somebody who won’t feel so fucking scared of saying ‘I love you’.”

She was aware she was one breath away from sobbing and when Kara moved closer and softly said, “Oh Lena,”

The dam burst. 

“Oh, baby, come here, I’m sorry. Rao, I’m so sorry, I- I didn’t know I made you feel that way, I’m sorry,” Kara murmurs to her as she cups Lena’s cheek and uses her thumb to wipe tears. 

Lena’s eyes were so green at the moment and Kara has to remind herself that they still have a long way to go for tonight. 

“Look at me, I’m sorry I didn’t know, I’m sorry you felt pressured but Lena, there is nobody else I want. You are the one I want, hell I’m pretty sure every me out there in the multiverse is looking for their own Lena right now. You are the best I could ever have.”

The words hit Lena and it just makes her sob harder. Kara fully turns her body to the side to gather Lena in her arms and lets her sob into her neck. 

“I- I left because I thought I couldn’t be enough, I didn’t want to. But everything was happening so fast and you wanted so many things and I couldn’t give it to you and I felt like such a fucking failure,” Lena sobs out, words slightly muffled with how hard Kara is pressing into her. 

“Lena you are not a failure oh, come here. Listen to me, you’re not a failure, you’re not supposed to build your world around me okay? You do it for yourself. You are brilliant. You are not a failure and I am so so sorry that I made you feel that way.”

Kara rubs circles on her back and squeezes around her every so often. It feels like forever that they stayed that way. Kara whispering, “Shh, breathe, breathe with me,” and Lena sniffling into Kara and Kara just wrapping all around her and calming her. When Lena’s sobs start to subside and she feels confident enough in her ability to speak she slowly breaks away from Kara. 

“I’ve been going to therapy,” she begins, “It helped...a lot. Helped clear out a lot of things f-for me. And I think,” She pauses, “Kara, I- I also think you need it more than I do.”

At that Kara’s face scrunches up in confusion. 

“How so?”

“Remember when I told you you wanted so much so fast?”

Kara gives her a nod. 

“I think you were trying to run, darling.”

She knew she should be focusing on what Lena was trying to tell her but she can’t help the little flutter of her heart at the pet name. 

“Run? Run from what?”

“Kara,” Lena starts, unsure about how she should really go about all this.

“You went through hell and back trying to fix the universe, you watched another home of yours get erased from existence. And not to mention that before and during all of that, the two of us were fighting. And then to make things worse at the end of it all, you get ejected into a universe you barely know with my brother as its savior.”

Lena lays out all the facts methodically, slowly, carefully but just blunt enough to make Kara realize that all that trauma should not just be brushed aside.

“You went through a lot.”

A lot, doesn’t even begin to describe the enormity of everything the both of them went through. But Lena supposes they can unpack that another time. There’s a pause and Lena watches Kara take a breath.

“Kara, I think you jumped into a relationship with me because it made you feel good. It made you forget about all the recent hardships you just went through. And I guess maybe I did too, you know? We both just wanted to feel some crumb of peace, but God, did we go about it the wrong way.”

Lena watches her words sink in, how Kara stops, blinks slowly only to take a sudden breath as tears slowly track down her face. 

“I- No. I didn’t. No, you’re wro- Lena, I-” Kara fails to tie together a sentence as tears start to fall down. It’s easy when everything else is in your head, when you can replay memories and cover them in filters made by your own brain, but when someone else puts it on the screen for you? That’s a different matter altogether. Nobody had shown Kara the severity of her trauma before and now it’s taking its toll.

“Oh, Kara. Come here, come here,” Lena coos, this time it was her pulling Kara in. Kara melts into her and Lena feels the telltale signs of heavy sobs come through. 

“I don’t know- I-”

“Shh, it’s okay, Kara, it’s okay.” 

She lets Kara fall apart in front of her. She knows those tears are oceans of their own, those drops carry the memory of a fallen planet, an entire culture, stories, people, loved ones. Every drop is a person Supergirl had failed to save, another universe, another home. Every drop is every lie she ever told Lena and all of the pain there was when she was gone. 

“I’m sorry, Lena, I’m sorry.”

She can’t beg forgiveness from an extinct race or a wiped out universe but Lena? She could still have Lena. 

***

Alex finds them curled tightly together in the Med Bay come morning. She kind of wants to cry in relief at the sight. 

Finally, fucking finally. 

She doesn’t have the heart to bother them so she grabs them an extra blanket and tucks both in, exiting with a small smile to her lips. 

***

They both wake up to the sound of laughter, the perpetrators— a couple of low-rank agents— stop in the tracks at the sight of a disheveled Supergirl, scowling madly at them with one Lena Luthor tucked in her arms. 

“Uh- sorry, we’ll just uh-” 

The agents bolt out of the room immediately, letting Kara slump back into the pillow. 

“Hi,” Lena croaks out with a rough voice, eyes puffy from last night. 

Snippets from last night immediately flashing in Kara’s brain. 

Kara holding Lena. 

Lena holding Kara

Teary apologies

Catching-up on each other.

Talking till yawns interrupted their words. 

Kissing. 

More kissing. 

More kiss-

You get the picture. 

“Good morning,” Kara replies with a shy smile. 

“Is scaring agents one of Supergirl’s many talents?” Lena teases, as Kara scoffs fully turning unto her side to face Lena, hand casually brushing a stray strand of her on Lena’s face

“Serves them right for just walking in-” Kara stops mid-sentence, fingers freezing and her eyes turn hesitant, “Sorry, is this okay?”

Because even though last night had happened even though they’ve talked until words could no longer name the depth of their feelings and they turned to silence instead, Kara is still unsure. Hesitant. Wary of giving too much too soon or asking for too much too soon.

But the most difficult part is over and they both realize this as the sun from outside filter through the many wide windows of the DEO, as Lena’s next words ring about in the warmth of the morning.

“Kara, it’s okay,” Lena answers her, catching Kara’s frozen hand and leaning into the touch, pressing closer to Kara’s face, noses touching, lips a breath apart. 

“In fact, it’s very much okay.”

.

.

.

.

.

.

The first tell was the lack of a body next to her. The second was the freezing cold. Her bed was almost never cold these days. She’s grown used to sharing her bed with a Kryptonian heater, and so, to wake up from a nightmare alone in bed was now an unusual occurrence. Unusual nough to make her panic. 

She sits up, disoriented from her nightmare. Lena groggily registers a low melodic humming crackling from the baby monitor on her nightstand. 

“Kara,” she whispers into the quiet of the room, “Please come back to me.” 

The humming from the monitor begins to sound distant as it gets louder to Lena’s ears; drifting nearer and nearer to the bedroom. 

The door opens and Kara strolls in, messy bun, sleepy voice and all. In her arms a squirming, kicking, sniffling, very much awake bundle fits.

“She doesn’t want to sleep, I tried everythi-” Kara whines and then stops as she takes in Lena’s racing heartbeat, shaking lips and shining eyes. 

“Oh no, did you have a nightmare? I’m sorry, I-”

“It’s okay, Kara. Just— Come here? Please?”

Kara shuffles quickly towards the bed; Lena lifts the comforter, making room, the bed dipping as her wife climbs in.

“You okay?” she asks, once she’s settled down next to Lena. She continues rocking her arms as an attempt to get their daughter to sleep for the nth time tonight. Her wife doesn’t still doesn’t answer her, although she doesn’t miss how Lena slightly calms at her presence.

“Lena, hey, you with me?”

“Kara?”

“I’m here, I’m here.”

“Thi- this is real, right?”

Because sometimes, there are nights where dreams feel all too real and pain comes rearing at you as if it all happened yesterday. Because after all these years, Lena still carries fear inside of her; fear that none of this is real, fhat Kara doesn’t really love her, that she’ll never be good enough, that she’ll be abandoned again. Fear that all of this is just a figment of her imagination. 

“Oh, Lena. Come here, I’m going to pass her unto you alright?” 

Lena’s eyes snap up to hers for a minute in hesitation but she finds herself slowly nodding. Kara wouldn’t give their daughter over if she isn’t sure Lena could handle it. She slowly transfers their child to Lena’s arms. 

“Do you feel her warmth?” 

“Mm-hmm.”

“Do you feel her weight?”

“She’s real, Lena. I’m real,” Kara says as she wraps her arms around them, cradling her wife and child close. 

“She’s getting heavy.”

“Yeah, yeah that she is. This is real, Lena.”

“Here,” she gently puts a pillow beneath Lena’s arms for support as she slowly grabs one hand and puts it right over her heart. 

“Feel this? Can you feel it?” 

Lena does, Lena can and she nods and it’s real and Kara’s heartbeats are steady under her palm; each beat an echo of Lena’s name. She’s certain of that, because she’s pretty sure her heartbeats are all echoes of Kara’s name again and again and again.

“This is real.”

“Promise?”

“Always.”

[woniebae]

TENSION

Pairing: drummer!jake x lead guitarist!fem reader

Warnings: smut, fluff, angst, vulgar words, unprotected sex, both are a swith, brief mention of daddy, slight cockwarming, breeding, oral sex (m), degradation

Wc: 2.7k

A/n:  18+, MDNI, read at your own discretion, might do a part 2? 

Special mention: @jay-durian thank you sm for proofreading some parts and changing it!! <3

"GET READY IN 10 MINUTES!!" shouted the staff which was barely audible because of the roaring crowd, chanting your band's name. You fixed your earpiece and checked your outfit for the last time in case of any wardrobe malfunctions, we don't wanna embarrass ourselves in front of all the people, right?

"You excited, babe?" You looked up and noticed your best friend Dina, also one of the main vocalists of your band, who had a teasing look on her face. By that look, you already knew what she meant by 'excited'

"Shut up, you little shit" she laughed at your response and clapped her hand like a seal, she looks like one anyways, just kidding. Before she could reply to you, a certain someone grabbed your wrist and dragged you to a corner

"What do you need, Jake?" You took back your wrist from his hold and questioned the boy in front of you in annoyance

"Nothing, just wanted to annoy you" he said with a smirk on his pretty face. You glared at him, annoyed by his stupid antics. If he wasn't annoying you, he would be flirting with you which undeniably gives you butterflies.

"Look at you darling, glaring at me, so cute~" he cooed and pinched your cheeks teasingly. You pushed his hands off your face and stomped on his foot. Jake grabbed his foot in pain, he's pretty unlucky you're wearing platform boots

"fuck off, jake" you walked away from the boy, not noticing how he checked you out from behind in your outfit that shows off your pretty curves

"Everyone gather up!!" Shouted heeseung, the leader of the band. We gathered and Heeseung gave us his usual speech. Enjoy the performance and do your best, he said.

10 minutes passed, and you climbed up the stage one by one which made the crowd roar. You took your spot on the stage, wore your guitar strap, and looked at the crowd in excitement. Heeseung held his hand up to silence the roaring crowd, which worked every time.

"Good day, everyone. I just wanna thank you guys for coming, we appreciate it a lot." Awe's and claps were heard amongst the crowd "Are you guys ready?" Asked jay, the bassist of the band

"YEEEES" " WOOOOOH" "YES DADDY"

Jay chuckled at the response 'yes daddy' which made the crowd roar once again, what wild fans we got here

"THEN GET READY TO MAKE SOME NOISE WOOOOH!!!" Dina shouted, you did your intro, followed by the rest of the members. You can feel your body fire up, the thumping of the ground, and the noise of the crowd. You jumped and strummed your guitar, banging your head, just feeling the rush you feel surrounding your body in excitement.

Now playing your band's second song, which is kind of sexual, made the crowd wilder. A certain part came, Dina grinded her front to you in which you grinded back in return, that made the crowd cheer

"YES MOMMIES" "FUCK THAT'S SO HOT" "WOOOOH"

you laughed and shouted the lyrics, Dina took place in other parts of the stage interacting with the crowd. You looked behind you and noticed Jake, watching you darkly through his hooded eyes, licking his bottom lip before biting it. You unconsciously clenched your thighs, which didn't go unnoticed by Jake The concert ended and you all headed to a room backstage.

You sat on one of the couches with Dina beside you, drinking water, "damn girls, what a show you put up there, huh?" Jay chuckled, referring to the one where Dina grinded onto you and you grinded back

"My gay ass can't help it, okay? y/n looked so fucking hot there, strumming that sexy guitar of hers. You wanna strum something wet other than your guitar, babe?" Dina suggestively asked you, making you feel hot.

Damn, even you can't deny that your bestfriend is smoking hot too

"control yourself, Dina. You might get killed by someone's glare” Heeseung said and looked at the other side. You followed the direction of his eyes and noticed Jake glaring at Dina, rolling the drumsticks on his hand

"Chill Jake, I'm not gonna steal y/n from you. I mean, she isn't even yours to begin with" ooh's are heard after what Dina said

"fuck off, Dina" spoke Jake, annoyance visibly clear on his tone, Dina flipped him off in response

———

Heeseung sent a text on your group chat saying that you had practice this afternoon. You stood up from your bed and got ready. After getting ready, you grabbed your things and made your way to the studio You arrived, got inside, and caught sight of Jake playing his drum. ‘Only Jake is inside the studio, maybe I'm too early’ you thought

"Jake? Where are the others?" You asked him, he shrugged his shoulders in response You took a seat on the couch and felt your phone vibrate, indicating that someone messaged you

Dina: hey babe, sorry i can't come to the practice right now, Had an emergency. Enjoy your practice but not too much though!!

"Let me guess, Dina texted you saying she can't come to practice, right?" Jake raised his brows and asked you

"uhm how'd you know?" You questioned

"Those fuckers, they set us up. The guys texted me saying they can't come to practice. Is the tension so thick that they ditched practice to set us up?" the last sentence goes unheard by you. He looked at his drumsticks and played with it before placing it on his chair as he got up and walked towards you. You looked up and found him already staring at you. Before he could reach you, your phone rang which means someone is calling, and that someone was Heeseung.

You answered the call and heard various voices that sounded like they were debating about something before Heeseung finally spoke up

"y/n? Could you put the call on speaker?" Heeseung requested from the other line which had you nervous about what he was gonna to say

"Jake? Can you hea-" before Heeseung could continue what he's saying, someone cut him off

"HAVE A GOOD FUCK YOU TWO!!"

"YEAHHH, RUIN THAT PUSSY JA-"

"SHUT UP JAY, BABE FUCK THAT TINY DICK"

Jake snatched your phone and said “Excuse me you little shit, my dick isn’t tiny” and ended the call. You gasped at what Jake said, shock evident all over your face. Jake then took a seat beside you and said something that made your heartbeat thump so fast that you could hear it, maybe Jake can hear it too

"What are you waiting for, baby? Aren't we gonna do what they want us to do?" Jake leaned back on the couch, manspreading with a smirk on his face

Oh, how you wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his face.

You looked at him dead in the eye and thought about how you've been waiting for a long time for this opportunity and now it is clearly right in front of you so why not grab it. Not only you have been waiting for this moment, jake has been too. With all the lustful glares, lingering touches here and there, and those suggestive remarks

You rose from your seat, your feral instinct taking over your mind and body. Pouncing at jake, you straddled him and crashed your lips onto his, emitting a surprised whimper from jake. He was utterly unprepared of your outburst

I mean, how can he expect you to do anything at all when every time he tries to hit on you, you either punch him or roll your eyes combined with your nasty remarks?

Every time jake tries hitting on you, you can't help but be annoyed at him for giving you those stupid butterflies on your stomach

And now here you are, sitting on jake at the couch of your band's studio, having never imagined that going to practice that your other three members had abandoned would lead you straddling jake, both legs on each side of him, your hands tangled on his soft hair and his located on your ass squeezing it from time to time, eliciting a soft moan from you. You pulled back from the kiss, his bottom lip between your teeth before releasing it to breathe but seems like jake doesn't want you to since his lips chased yours eagerly and kissed you like he's been starved for a long time

How could he not, right? He's been waiting for this moment for ages

You moved your hips, rubbing against his hard-on, which has been caged by the fabric of his pants, causing him to let out a groan. This time, Jake is the one who pulled back from the kiss and threw his head back as he guided your hips on his boner

"You like that jakey? Hm?" You grinded harder making you whine from the pleasure. You took the chance trailing kisses on his exposed pretty neck not forgetting to mark it on the way. You found his sensitive part based on his reaction, which keeps you sucking on that spot. Before reaching your hand up, encircling it around his neck full of your marks, you stopped sucking and admired the colors darkening

"My hand looks so pretty on your neck jakey" you leaned towards his ear and whispered "Bet it looks a lot prettier around your cock" Before nibbling his earlobe and leaning back

You gazed at jake, lust clouding your head due to the image in front of you, making your breath catch in your throat. Your reaction goes unnoticed by jake, making him smirk

"Why don't you test Dina's theory about my cock y/n?" With that being said, you got up from your position and kneeled after him. You teased his clothed crotch emitting a groan from him before unbuckling his belt and pulling down his pants, his boxers following after making his cock slap his lower abdomen because of how hard it is

All I can say is that Dina's theory is incorrect you thought

You touched his slit and used his precum as lube before bringing your mouth on his shaft and sucked his angry tip eliciting a breathy moan from the man above you

"stop teasing me y/n if you don't want me to punish you" You swirled your tongue around his tip before bobbing your head up and down, hands stroking the ones that can't fit. You felt Jake's hands collecting your hair forming it as a ponytail and pushed your head deeper, thrusting his hips onto your mouth making you gag. You removed your hands and let jake fuck your throat, letting few tears fall from your eyes

His thrusts became erratic indicating that his orgasm is approaching making you clutch on his tensed thick thighs. Jake's moans and groans are the only ones heard in the studio together with your gags

"f-fuck you f-feel so good, so good f-for me ahh" jake cried before one final thrust, you felt the bitter taste of his semen going down your throat before swallowing it all and got up from your kneeling position, took your oversized shirt off followed by your pants which make you now only in your lacy pair of undergarments causing Jake's flaccid cock stand up once again

"Oh my jakey, hard once again after seeing me in only my undergarments" his face displayed embarrassment making you giggle at his cuteness

Jake took off his shirt making you clench your thighs at the sight of his fully naked body before you created a smirk from him at your reaction. He grabbed you by your waist making you straddle him once again before dipping his fingers on your wet aching core, making you whimper from the contact

"Is this all for me, hm? Did making out with me and giving me a head make you wet? Aren't you a fucking slut? Darling?" You can only moan in response to Jake's degradation, bucking your hips for more friction. Tears are starting to form in your eyes from the lack of touch making jake giggle

"Do you want my cock baby?" You nodded eagerly emitting a smug look on his face. He leaned to your ear and whispered, "beg" before leaning back on the couch, hands finding home on your hips

"Please baby? Fuck me with your pretty cock and make me cum so hard because of how you feel so good inside me, pretty please?" you begged giving him an innocent look, feeling his cock twitch on your thighs

He kissed you hungrily which you responded fervently, he unclasped your bra from behind freeing your boobs from the cage they were once in making you sigh in contentment. Jake palmed your tits, massaging each of them making you gasp. Jake took the opportunity to slide his tongue inside your mouth fighting against your warm moist muscle

You released first from the kiss and pushed your panties to the side, grinding on his cock feeling its prominent veins making you let out breathy moans. You held his cock sliding it between your lower lips up and down, collecting your arousal using it as your lube before pushing it in slowly eliciting a moan from the both of you in delight

"a-ah jakey you're so big, filling me up so w-well ngh", praising him because jake is a sucker for praises which you noticed whenever your having rehearsals. When you guys were undergoing rehearsals, jake astonished you all with his drumming skills, which gained him a lot of praises from your members and staff's, making him giggle and blush all over

"fuck baby your pussy is so tight", You started moving your hips up and down to find your rhythm. Once you found your pace you began to thrust quicker, making the both of you moan at the blissful feeling. Jake met up with your movement hitting your g-spot, making you cry from the euphoric feeling. You felt your body become hot and the familiar knot forming, making you clench on his dick

Jake moaned from the feeling of your tight cunt and warm walls deliciously clenching around his cock, making his second orgasm of the night approach faster. He pushed your panties more on the side to have access on your clit, rubbing it on circles to make your orgasm faster

"yes yes yes it feels so good ahh"

"Baby I'm gonna cum", because of his sloppy uneven thrusts, you sensed jake is about to cum

"Let's cum together jakey, cum inside me", hearing what you said pushed a grunting jake to cum, followed by you, leading your legs to quiver from the euphoric sensation engulfing your body, driving you to see stars as jake continued to thrust slowly inside you to ride out both of your highs

Pants are heard in the studio, sex lingering on the air, making the both of you laugh. You looked at jake and noticed him already staring at you fondly, you leaned in and kissed him once again but slowly and softly this time. The kiss, full of untold feelings and yearning. You pulled back and rested your forehead on his starting to regret why you always reject his advances

"I like you, y/n. I know this is not the right time to confess because we just fucked and probably not the right time but I just can't keep it inside me anymore and watch Dina ste-"

A shade of red crept up on the tips of his ears emitting a laugh from you making him pout. You kissed his pouty lips before caressing his face softly

"i like you too, dumbass" his ramblings making you grin

You came to the realization now why you keep on rejecting his advances, it is because you're afraid of falling in love, afraid of rejection, and afraid it is a one-time thing. But now you're unafraid of taking risks knowing jake feels the same way, maybe more than what you felt for him.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

You moved your hips up and down once again eliciting a moan from a sensitive jake, its gonna be his third orgasm after all

———

"Does that answer your question, daddy?"

🏷️'s: @irockgyu @jaylaxies @freessaaenhaa @angel-ishere @rielleluvs @czenshireland @bunnylover0193 @andromedawillburryyou @liliansun

[bush-viper-cutie]

“The Cloaked Fools” || YEAR 3 – Ch.26 (HP au)

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Day posted: 10/9/2020

Word count: 3, 058

Relationship: EVENTUAL severus X oc (slow burn)

Rating: E for everyone

Warnings: none

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A/N: This is my first fan fic I’m writing mainly as a way to practice. This is a retelling of the hp books with an inserted character. Although most every character will be written about, this is mostly for the pro snape fandom. Please do not fear, although this is a severus x oc story, it is an incredibly slow burn as I do not intend for them to get together at all until after the final book events. Chapters will be posted twice a week.

This derivative work follows the events of the Harry Potter books by Jk Rowling and is intended as a fun way to practice my writing. Thank you for reading :D

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“I’ve never been happier!” Ron exclaimed as he zoomed all over the field on the firebolt.

Heather and Harry were sitting on the grass watching Ron finally smile after a week of obvious misery. Harry was still in his Quidditch uniform and smelled of practice.

“ – And apparently Cho Chang’s their seeker – a fourth year – but Wood’s worry about her vanished the second I got up off the ground. I mean, you saw how fast I caught the Snitch! Took me like ten seconds to get from the goal post to the other side of the field!”

“Woooooh!” Ron zoomed passed them overhead.

Heather nodded. She was very happy for Harry, and was glad he’d surely win his game against Ravenclaw within a few minutes… But from what she’d seen from practice, even Slytherins should be terrified of playing against Harry. Draco’s Nimbus two-thousand-and-one was a joke next to the firebolt. If Gryffindor won against Ravenclaw, they’d be second place behind Slytherin. She couldn’t imagine losing the House Cup AND the Quidditch Cup this year. Slytherin always won the Quidditch Cup… this’d be their eighth year in a row.

“That’s great, Harry,” she said, trying to sound genuinely pleased for him.

Madam Hooch stirred in her seat and woke with a start. She had fallen asleep watching Harry’s game and was coming over with hands on her hips. She told them off for not waking her up and in the darkness they walked back towards the castle. Harry let Ron hold the broom a bit longer as they went.

“Why don’t you put it in the broom shed?” Heather ducked as Ron turned towards to her with the broom on his shoulders.

“Are you mad? Everyone with a broom has access to the shed! It’d be easy sabotage!”

“Wait!” Harry lifted a hand to stop them going any further up the stairs and pointed down at a nearby tree.

Two eyes blinked up at them from the darkness. Ron took out his wand and illuminated the area. The border of light reached the tree and Crookshanks waved his tail high at them.

“Get away! Go on! Get!” Ron yelled.

Crookshanks turned swiftly and sunk back into the darkness.

“Can’t believe she’s still letting him roam around anywhere! What if he eats someone else’s pet!” Ron scoffed and turned off his wand light.

They entered the castle just as night officially set.

“I think she doesn’t even know where he is.” Heather looked at Harry and saw he was still frowning. She knew he’d probably thought those were the eyes of the grim. She wanted to roll her eyes at him… but she remembered his last match. The way the clouds had looked like a large angry black dog right before he’d fallen fifty feet from the air... Heather dropped them off at the tower, giving Harry a big hug. “Rest well, alright?”

Harry nodded. “Don’t tell the Slytherins yet that I’ve got my broom back. I want to see their faces tomorrow morning.”

Heather nodded and skipped down the stairs. When she reached the main corridor on the ground floor, for a second, she felt the need to look both ways into the creeping darkness, like she’d find the grim’s shadow waiting for her, warning her that Harry would be in danger tomorrow; but there was nothing. She skipped down the corridor and down the dungeon stairs with ease. As promised she didn’t tell Marcus or Draco anything and went straight to sleep.

The next morning, she sat at the Gryffindor table with Wood, waiting for Harry and Ron to make their big entrance. Heads turned and students gasped as Harry entered holding up the firebolt, making sure not to knock it on anything. Heather glanced over at the Slytherins and saw Marcus’ look of fury and Draco’s look of disgust. Her arms hurt instantly at the thought of Marcus doubling their practices after this.

“Look at that!” Wood helped Harry set the broom in the center of the table, pushing plates of food away and turning the handle so it showed ‘firebolt’ at the top in golden letters.

Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were coming over, gasping and aweing at it. Penelope Clearwater asked Harry if she could hold it but Wood swatted her hand away.

“No chance at sabotage, lovely.” Percy held her hand. “We have a bet going on,” he informed them.

“Though I think he knew his chances better than I did when we made it.” Penelope scowled and walked away.

Percy leaned into Harry. “I don’t have ten Galleons so… win this one, alright?” He turned and walked over to the Ravenclaw table, joining his girlfriend in some toast.

“Look at Malfoy,” Ron whispered, drawing attention to Draco’s widened eyes and pressed lips. “This is brilliant!”

“Congratulations on the broom, Harry.” Cedric Diggory smacked his shoulder. “If we’d gotten a rematch I’d be worried.”

Harry smiled and nodded as he left back to his table. “Everyone’s so impressed…”

“And scared, as they should be.” Wood didn’t take his eyes off the broom. “Harry’s you’ve got your dementor problem figured out have you?”

Fred and George laughed. “They’re not coming back onto the grounds.” Fred jabbed a thumb up at the High Table. “Dumbledore’d freak.”

Heather followed his thumb up at a merry looking Professor Dumbledore enjoying his eggs. He looked so different from when he’d gotten furious at the dark-hooded creatures that had entered and made Harry fall. He’d looked even madder than Professor Snape did now, scowling down at his food next to Professor Lupin who chattered away with Professor McGonagall.

“You sure you can handle that broom, Potter?” came Draco’s cold, sharp voice, slicing through the Gryffindor’s enjoyment.

Harry rolled his eyes and turned. “Yeah, I reckon so,” he said casually, almost smiling as Draco’s face turned back to disgust.

“Heard it’s got all sort of new features. Think catching you when you get too near a dementor’s one of them?” Draco smiled maliciously.

Crabe and Goyle snickered behind him.

Heather’s hands slowly reached her face, ready to cover her eyes at what she knew was coming.

“Shame you can’t attach an extra arm to yours. Then it could catch the Snitch for you.” Harry said, turned back to the team as they burst out laughing.

Heather watched through her fingers as Draco almost smacked him where he sat. He gritted his teeth and stalked away, Crabbe and Goyle at his heels. He sat back with the Slytherins and her team put their heads together. She’d likely get a talking to from Marcus again, as if she could do anything about Harry having the firebolt back.

The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw team set out for the locker rooms and Heather stayed behind with Ron as the chatter of the room reached peak excitement.

“Where’s Hermione?” Heather looked around.

Ron shrugged avoidantly. “Was doing homework at one of the desks when we left. Who cares if she wants to miss the greatest Quidditch match of the decade. Well – ” he looked at Heather, “second to the Gryffindor, Slytherin one after this.”

She rolled her eyes. Technically it would be Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff afterwards if Ravenclaw lost – or should she say ‘when’ they lost, but she refrained from correcting him, getting the point. After several more minutes, the whole school was getting up to make their ways to the stadium.

Ron and Heather ran to find seats, excited to see Harry in action.

“We’ll be sitting for two minutes max,” Ron said, gripping the railing in front of them. “I know it.”

Harry made his way onto the field with his team, and the Ravenclaws walking out at the same time looked unusually nervous. Heather easily spotted the Ravenclaw Seeker that Harry had talked about. She was shortest of both teams… and also the only girl on the team. Heather knew what that felt like.

“They waved at each other,” Heather told Ron.

“Who?”

He was distracted looking at the score as if it’d change in a blink in the presence of the firebolt. If Hermione was here she’d be raising her brows. Harry hadn’t yet talked of any girl to Heather, but she thought that was about to change. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. Was this the moment they’d start talking to each other about crushes? If he started liking this Cho Chang, would she be doomed to crush on someone too? Would he even tell her? Were crushes something twins talked about?

At the whistle the teams kicked off and Heather’s thoughts were erased when Harry zoomed around, showing off how fast he was. The crowd lost it, cheering and screaming and whistling. Gryffindors were yelling for Ravenclaws to forfeit on the spot and Professor McGonagall had to come down from the announcer desk to tell them to calm down.

Lee Jordan wasn’t doing any better than them. “LOOK AT THAT FIREBOLT EVERYONE. RAVENCLAW MUST BE QUAKING ON THEIR BROOMS. IT’S ONLY BEEN OUT HALF A YEAR AND IT’S ALREADY THE BROOM OF CHOICE FOR THE NATIONAL TEAMS AT THIS YEAR’S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP – ”

“ – FOCUS ON THE GAME, PLEASE, MR. JORDAN,” Professor McGonagall interrupted as she reached the announcer desk again.

“JUST ADDING SOME BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR THE ANTICIPATION – ”

“THERE’S NO NEED FOR THAT.”

“ALRIGHT… GRYFFINDOR IN POSSESSION WITH KATIE BELL HEADING STRAIGHT FOR THE GOAL…”

The Gryffindors were laughing at Lee and Professor McGonagall’s exchange. Harry was streaking around the air with Cho not far behind. She seemed to be a good flyer. She hadn’t noticed how good she was when Slytherins were playing Ravenclaw, but she must have given Draco a good scare. Harry sped up suddenly and Cho got left behind as hard as she tried to stay on his trail. Harry really was no match for any Seeker at this point.

There was a golden dot on the edge of her vision and Harry saw it too. The Snitch was near the ground, close to the stadiums, and Harry was rushing for it. The Ravenclaw Beater hit a Bludger several feet in front of Harry to make up for his speed and narrowly missed Harry’s head by an inch, making him veer off course. The Snitch was gone and Heather was horrified at the advanced thinking the Ravenclaw must have gone through to time the Bludger near perfectly.

“Boooooooh!” the Gryffindors yelled at the Ravenclaw Beater. The Ravenclaws cheered for him, however, asking him to do it again.

George hit a Bludger at him in frustration, making the Ravenclaw Beater roll in midair. Heather wished she was on her broom, playing with them. She loved doing midair rolls; they were her signature move.

“GRYFFINDOR LEADS BY EIGHTY POINTS TO NONE – AND LOOK AT THAT MAGNIFICENT FIREBOLT. CHANG’S COMMET JUST CAN’T COMPETE – LOOK AT THAT PRECISION-BALANCE DURING POTTER’S LONG – ”

“THE GAME JORDAN!”

“ – THREE GOALS FOR RAVENCLAW BRINGING GRYFFINDOR’S LEAD DOWN TO FIFTY!”

Harry was flying by towards the Gryffindor goalposts where the Snitch fluttered. Cho sprang up out of nowhere, halting Harry’s movement.

“Don’t be a gentleman! Knock her off her broom!” Wood yelled at him from the goalposts.

Harry started again and was gaining on Cho in an instant, until she exclaimed and pointed down. Heather leaned over the railing at what Cho had pointed to and saw three cloaked creatures entering the field, looking up at them as they approached.

Harry extended his arm, yelling “Expecto Patronum!” and from the tip of his wand, a silvery-white orb shot out, knocking the three dementors to the ground. Heather blinked, stunned, and the crowd was cheering.

“POTTER’S CAUGHT THE SNITCH.”

In the time it took for the dementors to hit the ground, Harry had gotten to the Snitch before Cho and was holding it up for all to see. The end-of-game whistle blew and the Gryffindor team was barreling towards Harry, hugging him on their brooms, unable to wait until they could all touch down.

“Did you see that!” Ron was pulling her down the stadium benches and down the stairs. “Did you see!”

“Of course I saw! I was right next to you.” Though Heather had to admit several of her blinks got in the way of seeing Harry’s actions.

They ran onto the field followed by a crowd of Gryffindors and joined the Gryffindor team in cheering for Harry. Fred and George were lifting him up as best they could as they jumped up and down, not being too careful about not dropping him.

“That’s ten galleons for me! Thanks Harry!” Percy yelled over the cheers. “Excuse me – excuse me – Penelope!” He pushed his way out of the crowd.

“Ruddy brilliant, Harry!” Hagrid boomed from the back, being tall enough to spot him at the center of the crowd.

Fred and George set Harry down and Professor Lupin placed his hand on his shoulder.

“That was quite the patronus.” Professor Lupin looked a bit startled.

Heather felt a pang of jealousy. If she’d continued practicing with them, would she have one like Harry? Or would she have still not been able to produce even a silver wisp of one.

“They didn’t even affect me! I felt nothing from them!” Harry finally let go of the Snitch.

“That’s – er… because they weren’t dementors.” Professor Lupin looked back in the direction of them.

The crowd started to disperse and as Heather, Ron, and Harry approached the ‘dementors’, they stood, ripping off their cloaks and revealing themselves to be Crabbe, Goyle, Draco, and Marcus. It was like an episode of one of Dudley’s favorite mystery cartoons. How hilariously embarrassing, however, Heather couldn’t partake in Harry and Ron’s laughter.

“Gave them quite a scare.” Professor Lupin was on the verge of laughing too.

Professor McGonagall was marching towards the four of them with hands on her hips and Heather imagined Marcus was about to get a nasty detention that’d take up all their practice times. It was too much for Professor Lupin and so he left them, holding a hand to his mouth to hide his smile. Ron was on his knees, pounding the ground with laughter and pointing at Draco who glared at them with as much fury as he could muster.

“Harry!” George called out. “Party in the Gryffindor common room!”

Harry looked over at Heather sheepishly and she sighed. “Oh, go. I think I have to help them out with this anyways.”

“I don’t see why.” Ron wiped a tear away. “Actually, see if they can get double detention!”

“Come on.” Harry pulled Ron away and they left together.

Heather made her way over to Marcus and Draco as Professor Dumbledore approached as well, stopping next to a still furious Professor McGonagall.

“Trying to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker! Fifty points from Slytherin! Unbelievable! I’ll be telling Professor Snape about this!”

Professor Dumbledore chuckled. “No need, he’s making his way down now.”

Heather looked over and saw Professor Snape walking very slowly down the stadium steps, no doubt incredibly annoyed.  She shook her head. “I can’t believe you guys thought this was a good idea.”

“You saw how fast he was going!” Draco hissed.

“But now you’ve lost us fifty points!” Heather huffed. “What if we’re tied now!”

“We’re not,” Marcus growled.

“Not yet,” Professor McGonagall said, dangerously calm.

“Well.” Professor Snape stopped at the foot of the cloaks dumped on the ground. “Shall we discuss this in my office?”

“So you can get them off with a slap on their wrist?” Professor McGonagall raised her brows.

“No,” Professor Snape spoke slowly. “But I won’t allow you to conveniently give them detentions during every last one of their scheduled practices.”

“Afraid you’ll finally lose this year?” She smiled.

Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat. “Perhaps you two should reach an agreement first. For now,” he turned to them, “You will stay in your common room until you are given your detention slips.”

Marcus, Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle nodded. Heather followed them out, walking next to Draco who kicked at every rock. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape bickered behind them, though Professor Snape seemed to enjoy Professor McGonagall’s anger.

“Did you even see what Cho was doing? She was countering Harry really well.” Heather shook Draco’s arm to snap him back to reality from whatever pit he had fallen into in his mind.

“No. I know how she plays. I caught the Snitch too remember? She was easy to beat.” He kicked another rock as they reached the stairs.

“But she played differently, didn’t she? Cutting Harry off.” She was growing more and more afraid as she realized Draco hadn’t bothered to learn anything from seeing Harry fly. Maybe she’d do better as Seeker, seeing as how she was always helping him improve.

They’d reached the common room door and Professor Snape followed them in. A horrible sign.

“You four,” he looked at them each except for Heather. He stepped closer, making them shrink. “Why don’t we have a chat in Draco’s dorm. Shall we?”

They gulped and headed into the boy’s dormitory. There was a slam of a door deeper inside and the muffled yells of Professor Snape telling them off. Heather sat at a chair, chin resting on the top of the back rest, knees tucked into the cushion, and waited for the doors to open once more.

The yelling ended, the boy’s dormitory door flung open, and suddenly there was a flurry of black robes cutting through the air as Professor Snape strode across the room using the full extent of his long legs to exit as fast as possible, his hair blowing back in the wind.

The common room door closed and Draco, Marcus, Crabbe and Goyle stepped out. Draco came to stand by her.

“I hate your brother,” he said, crossing his arms. “If we get too much detention, you’ll have to go out with me to show me what you saw that Ravenclaw Seeker do.”

Heather raised her brows. “Me?”

“Well he’s your brother isn’t he? It’s a Potter’s fault, so a Potter will fix this.”

Last time she checked Draco wasn’t a Potter and it was his own fault he was in this mess. Though, the idea was ridiculous enough to have been Marcus’ to begin with. Still. Someone who follows a fool must be a fool themselves, or very nearly one.

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[psychosistr]

Mending the Broken- Chapter 6

Summary:  An unlikely hero facilitates Jonathan's escape, and he repays his hero's kindness appropriately.

Notes:  Jail break! Jail break! JAIL BREAK! WOOOOOH!

-First Chapter-

Jonathan’s eyes were closed as he concentrated on his breathing and the distribution of hamon through his arms. He had been at this for a while now, but had not bothered keeping track of time anymore. All that mattered was getting out of there and rescuing Speedwagon.

Taking in another breath slowly, Jonathan thought he felt something shift in the air by his head. Before he could ponder on it much, though, he was shocked by a sudden realization- he was able to inhale deeper on his last breath.

Opening his eyes, Jonathan looked first at Speedwagon directly across from him. The man looked the same as ever, still seated in the same position as before. But..his hair..a few locks by his right shoulder were slowly drifting back into place- as if he had just recently moved his arm.

Looking back behind himself as much as he could, Jonathan noticed something lodged within the gears, hindering their movements-

Oh! It was the spoon that Speedwagon had taken earlier!

Jonathan looked back at Speedwagon in surprise. “Speedwagon..you..” His look of surprise changed into a sad but grateful smile. “Always so resourceful..I am in your debt yet again..”

Wasting no further time, Jonathan took a proper hamon breath and charged his energy to its limit before moving the healing ripple down through his arms. It hurt quite a bit, having the remaining fractures within his bones suddenly healing, but he endured it. Soon, he felt the final remnants of pain ebbing away as his arms finished healing.

Looking down at his own arms as he moved and flexed them, Jonathan was pleased with the results- they were good as new. He used his newly healed arms to pry the collar off and over his head before conducting the ripple into his limbs and using the energy to make breaking the shackles off much easier.

Standing felt good after spending so long on the hard floor- he could feel the blood properly circulating through his limbs again and warming up his cold skin. He made his way to Speedwagon and knelt in front of him with a gentle smile.

“I believe it is high time we left this horrid place. My apologies for taking so long.” He retrieved Speedwagon’s clothes from the corner of the room and, after tearing off his own bandages and using them to wipe off what fluids he could on the other man, bashfully helped him dress with a muttered “Do forgive my forwardness..”

“……” Speedwagon did not say anything, only allowing himself to be moved and dressed like a lifeless doll.

“There, a bit better already.” Once his companion looked semi-decent again, Jonathan picked him up, holding his friend’s weight easily with only one arm so his other was free. “Now then,” He charged hamon into his fist as he walked to the cell door. “Let us be on our way, dear Speedwagon.”

With a mighty slam of his fist against the thick metal, the door was knocked clean off of its hinges and into the stone hallway outside. A few of Dio’s minions standing guard in the hall turned towards the noise.

“The prisoners escaped!” One of them yelled. “Quick, go warn Lord Di-!” He never finished his sentence, as Jonathan delivered a fatal hamon-infused punch that dislocated the zombie’s jaw and killed him at the same time.

Jonathan mowed through the other guards in a similar fashion, taking them out one by one with his hamon infused punches. It was difficult to fight using only one arm, but he was determined not to let Speedwagon go for even a second. He ran through the halls and up several flights of stairs as fast as he could, decimating any zombies he came across before they had a chance to warn Dio of their escape. The brief glimpses of the outside world he could catch through the curtains offered little clue regarding the time of day, as the sky was darkened with clouds and heavy rain.

At one point, Jonathan came to a hall that branched off in two directions. He had a foreboding sense of déjà vu and held Speedwagon close, images from the cave-in at the forefront of his mind.

“No! Let me go!” He heard a girl’s voice coming from his left. While saving Speedwagon was his priority, he was still a gentleman and could not turn his back on a lady in distress. He followed the voice and saw a struggling girl being carried on the shoulder of a large zombie. She kicked and flailed to the best of her abilities, but her efforts didn’t even allow her room to budge in the firm grasp. “Nh! Release me at once!” She looked up during her struggles and saw Jonathan down the hall from her. “!!”

Jonathan put a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture and, after the girl nodded subtly in understanding, Jonathan silently made his way closer to the two until he was near enough to strike. “Haaaahh!” He took in a deep breath and charged the ripple into his arm, letting it build a moment before slamming his fist into the floor and sending the ripple outwards towards the zombie. “Sendo Ripple Overdrive!” He raced towards the zombie alongside the shockwave of energy and, just as the energy connected and started to send the undead creature flying, he grabbed the girl from its weakened hold and set her on the ground. They both watched the zombie skid across the floor as the hamon destroyed it from the inside. Looking down at the girl, Jonathan was relieved to see that she did not look injured or turned in any way. “Are you quite alright?”

She nodded with enthusiasm and relief. “I am, thanks to you, sir!” Her eyes darted down the hallway with his when they heard approaching footsteps. “Ah! Quick, follow me- I know a way out!”

Jonathan nodded and followed her around the corner to a book case in the wall. After fumbling with the books for a moment, she seemed to select the right one and pulled it, causing the shelf to slide to the left and reveal a hidden staircase. They entered the passageway together and Jonathan forced the bookcase back into place, breaking the mechanism but hopefully keeping out any pursuers.

“That was very clever, ma’am. How did you know of that hidden door?” Jonathan inquired as they made their way up the stairs. It was dark in there, but his eyes had adjusted after being in the dark cell for so long.

The girl felt along the walls blindly in the darkness, but made her way just fine. “My brother and I have a friend that works here in the mansion- she used to show us these servant’s routes so we could come visit her without being spotted.” She frowned slightly. “I came here looking for my brother, but all I found were monsters..I hope he hasn’t been harmed or turned into one of them…”

Jonathan gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder along with a kind smile. “Do not lose hope. If your brother is even half as witty and courageous as you are, than I am certain he will be fine.”

She looked back at him with a half-smile. “I pray you’re right, good sir..”

“You may call me Jonathan- Jonathan Joestar. Or simply Jojo, as most tend to.” He carefully adjusted his grip on Speedwagon, now holding him bridal style with the blonde’s head resting against his chest. “And this is Robert Speedwagon.”

She looked at Speedwagon’s blank expression with a concerned frown. “Is he..alright? He has not moved or said a word this whole time.”

Jonathan looked down into Speedwagon’s murky brown eyes and sighed. “He..is in there somewhere..but I am afraid he is a bit..let us say ‘unwell’ at the moment..” He wished he had another way to describe the state of his friend, but anything else he thought of just made it sound worse.

“I see..” She sounded sympathetic, silently acknowledging Jonathan’s unspoken pain regarding Speedwagon’s condition. “Well, I do hope he feels better soon.”

“As do I…” He sighed before looking at a door ahead of them. “Pray tell, where does this corridor lead?”

“There is an emergency ladder under a window in the servant’s washroom- it’s how I got in.” She walked a little quicker to reach the door first and tried to open it since Jonathan’s hands were full, but, ever the gentleman, he still managed to grab it first and opened it for the young lady. She pouted at him a bit but stepped through after peeking around to make sure the exit was clear. “It’s straight ahead and to the left.”

Jonathan nodded as he followed her lead. “Is the ladder long enough to reach the ground?”

“Not quite.” She said while Jonathan opened the door to the washroom. “But it is long enough to reach one of the lower areas of the mansion below, and it’s a simple task to climb the old stairs from there.” She walked over to the curtain-covered window and drew back the thin material while Jonathan closed and locked the door. “All we need to do is climb down and we-” Her explanation turned into a scream at what she saw when she pulled back the curtain. “AAAAAAAH!”

Similar to the grotesque chimera that Jonathan encountered in the cave, there was a humanoid zombie hanging upside down outside of the window. It had a human head with a bat-like body, but lacked the flowers the previous one had. Instead, it seemed to be outfitted with a different purpose: It was an alarm.

As soon as it spotted them, it flew away from the window and screamed with an ear-splitting shriek. “ESCAAAPE! PRISONERS ESCAAAAAPPEEEED!” It remained near the window and flew around in a circle while repeating these words over and over again.

The girl quickly got over her earlier fright and opened the window to look down. Her face instantly paled at what she saw. “Oh no! The ladder is gone!” She looked back at Jonathan with worry in her eyes. “They must have taken it down after I got in! I-I am so sorry!”

“It was not your fault, do not apologize.” Jonathan moved to the window and looked down. Without the aforementioned ladder, it was a steep, several story drop to the rest of the mansion below, let alone the ground. Hearing a loud thud in the distance, Jonathan realized that their location was exposed and Dio’s minions were quickly closing in on them. He looked back down at the ground and weighed his options. When his eyes drifted back down to his companion in his arms, to those hazed eyes and the scars on his neck, Jonathan’s decision was made. “We cannot go back.” Using his free hand, Jonathan knocked the window out of place with a hamon-infused punch, sending it crashing into the annoying chimera to silence it. Kneeling down low enough for the girl’s convenience, he turned his head to look at her over his shoulder. “Climb on, and do hold on tight.”

The girl stared at him in disbelief. “You-You cannot mean to climb down in this weather! We’d surely fall to our deaths!” A loud banging at the door made her yelp and Jonathan narrowed his eyes at her seriously.

“I will not allow either of you to be harmed. Please, I beg you to trust me.” The girl hesitated but quickly climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms and legs around him tightly. Once she was secured, Jonathan proceeded to jump out the window just as Dio’s minions broke down the door.

He used his free hand to grab the ledge as he leapt out, utilizing the momentum to turn so that he was now facing the wall. Taking in a hamon breath, Jonathan focused the ripple out into his hand and both feet. The stone of the mansion was sopping wet from the rain, making it an excellent conductor for his ripple. Letting go of the window’s ledge, Jonathan placed his hand onto the stone wall and began to slide down the side of the building at a rapid pace. The hamon around his hand and feet turned blue and the energy seeped out along the wet stone around him.

Soon, after but a second of concentration, Jonathan used the energy to not only help keep them attached to the wall, but to also guide their descent. Rather than falling straight down towards the lower parts of the mansion, their path began to curve out towards the ground.

“Ah! Look out!” The girl suddenly cried out to him as they fell.

Jonathan turned his head to look in the same direction as her and saw a group of Dio’s chimera zombies flying towards them- a grotesque menagerie of humans mixed with various bats and birds.

As they dive-bombed the trio, Jonathan braced himself using his hand and one of his legs. He kept enough hamon in those limbs to make sure they still held fast to the wall, but he concentrated most of it into his other leg. Waiting for the ideal moment, Jonathan spotted his chance when the zombies grouped up close enough and lashed out at them with his charged leg.

“Raining Turquoise Blue Overdrive!!!” He shouted as the blue hamon on his leg absorbed the rain water around it before he swung it outwards towards his foes. The wave of hamon that shot out from his leg both attracted and spread outward along the rain drops like a magnet- forming something akin to a blue net of liquid energy.

The zombies, not expecting this and not being able to stop in time, ended up flying straight into Jonathan’s attack. The hamon wrapped around them and constricted before absorbing into their bodies and breaking them apart.

One zombie, though, managed to get off one attack with its dying breath. As its body burst open, a long, wriggling vein shot out of it and launched itself at them. It pricked Jonathan’s leg and remained stuck there for a moment before the residual hamon around his body destroyed it.

“Ah!” The girl yelped and ducked her head against Jonathan’s back to shield herself from the sight as well as any other splashes of viscera.

Jonathan evenly distributed the energy between his legs and hand again and tried to slow their momentum as much as possible as they quickly neared the ground. “Brace yourself!” He called back to her. He felt her grip tighten around him and he strengthened his own hold around Speedwagon. Despite his efforts, they still ended up impacting the ground roughly. “Nh!!”

Jonathan’s legs hit the ground hard, even with the hamon around them cushioning the blow. He managed to turn to the side when he landed to avoid falling on either the girl or Speedwagon, but this did cause him to hit his head in the process.

After they stopped sliding along the ground, the girl got up from behind him and shook his shoulder urgently. “Mr.Joestar! Mr.Joestar, you have to get up! Hurry!”

Jonathan struggled to his feet, his head still spinning from the impact. “R..Right..have to..keep moving..” His vision swam, but he could see various doors and windows along the mansion opening as Dio’s minions prepared to give chase. He concentrated some of the residual ripple from his hand into his head to help heal himself, but he was already starting to feel tired from the amount of energy he’d expended. “We have to get away from here. Do you know the way back into town?”

The girl nodded, grabbed his free arm, and pulled him as she began to run. “Yes! This way!”

Jonathan followed her lead, allowing her to guide him towards whatever possible safety might be out there. Baron Zeppeli and Poco had agreed to meet them in town. Jonathan did not know if they made it there or not, or if they would wait there so long if they had. Nonetheless, it was the best (and only) option they had at the moment.

They ran for what felt like miles to Jonathan’s weary body. Everything felt heavy- his wet clothes, his tired limbs, his throbbing head and fluttering eyelids- but he persevered through it with the goal of getting Speedwagon and the girl to safety.

As they reached the edge of town, Jonathan found it harder and harder to keep his eyes open. Something was wrong, he thought, the impact with the ground should not have affected him THAT much. Why was he-?

“Oh no..” He voiced out loud as he recalled the spot on the back of his leg that had been pricked by the chimera zombie’s attack earlier. “It must have..been..poi..son..ou..s…” His voice trailed off as he fell to the ground, somehow managing to land on his side so as not to hurt Speedwagon.

“Mr.Joestar!” The girl kneeled next to him and tried to shake his shoulder again. “Mr.Joestar! You have to get up! Look- we’re almost there!”

Jonathan tried to keep his eyes open, especially when he heard footsteps rushing towards them, but it was proving far too difficult in his current condition. As the last of his consciousness began to fade, he brought Speedwagon’s unmoving body in closer to his own.

‘I am so sorry, Speedwagon..even after everything I promised you..I could not get you to safety..please..for..give..me…’

The last thing he heard was someone else distantly calling out his name…

<-Previous Chapter Next Chapter->

End Notes: I did say there would be more chimeras x3

Also, I liked that Jonathan was able to come up with attacks on the fly and wanted to incorporate that into this story :3

[futurewriter2000]

Changing Titles ~ Pt. 7

A/N: WOOOOOH! Gotta say I was looking for a good cliffhanger to leave it on and I really like this one. Got me a bit hyped. I wasn’t planning on writing anything but I felt this need of doing something for my relaxation so let’s just hope you like it like I like it.

XX

He was back. Your brother, James, he was back.

It was like everything became right but wrong at the same time.

He was always beside you, always walking you to your class no matter how far he was from his own. He was a real gentleman, a real brother.

At first, you thought it might have been the guilt that was eating him from the inside out but later on, you realized that it wasn’t that. He still loved to pick on you, to joke around with you, to be a meaner older brother that he was when the two of you were kids. But he also more around, always there to sit with you, to ask you how are you or how was your day, to bring you closer to his friends, to get along with your own friends. He was really trying to be a better brother and that made you so happy again.

He confided in you as well. The way his eyes had this gorgeous light in them the way he spoke about Lily Evans. He became so different, so shy when he spoke about her.

But there was still one problem. Your Dark Mark.

How could you tell him that the Dark Lord chose you to be his follower? HOw could tell your own brother who has been trying so hard to make everything right between the two of you that you felt this odd connection with the darkest wizards this century?

If it was like yesterday, you could see his bloody red eyes, slits as pupils like the snake that he was. You could see his long pale fingers taking your sleeve up, you could feel his cold touch and his cold, dead tone of a voice-

“ Oi! Tiny!” a voice broke you from any deeper thoughts.

You looked up at the boy who was walking towards you with his friends, a gorgeous beam on his lips. Unconsciously you grabbed the edge of your sleeve and pulled it down. “ Hi.” you smiled and closed the book that was open in your lap.

“ Whatchu got there?” he asked, grabbing the book from your lap. “ Advanced Potions?” he furrowed his eyebrows at you and grinned. “ Really?”

“ If you must know, big bro, is that I have a test coming and need to get an Outstanding grade.” you lifted your chin and grabbed the book from his lap.

“ Where’s your usual partner in crime?” said Sirius who sat beside you, wrapping an arm around you.

You looked at the hand on your shoulder than later at him.

“ Oi! Mate!” James warned him but Sirius only smiled wider.

“ Don’t worry, Prongs. I’m not after your little sister. Just teasing her a bit.” he winked and you only shot him an eye roll, taking his hand off your shoulder and throwing it at him.

“ Go tease the girls who actually don’t know what a prick you are.” you gave him a fake smile before standing up and grabbing your things. “ Gotta go shower but I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

“ Alright but answer me this.” James looked up from his armchair at you while you stopped next to him.

“ Yeah, What?”

“ Why are you still wearing long sleeves. It’s hot in here?” he grabbed your left arm and tried to pull you back but with every muscle in your body, you ripped your arm away from him and stepped back.

Everybody was now looking at you with wide eyes, James especially. “ Uhm...I’m waiting for my scars to heal.” you grabbed your arm by the elbow and backed away.

“ You sure?” James started to get suspicious, his eyes narrowing at you.

“ Yeah- uhm- see you guys tomorrow. Night.” you mumbled out and waved at Peter and Remus who were both on the sofa opposite of you. Though you could have sworn Remus’ eyes were looking at you differently from all of his friends’.

---

You’ve showered and you pulled the oversized sweater of your brother ’s, covering the dark mark and tugging the left sleeve more down. Finally walking out of the shower you saw Chilli reading her book on her bed. She glanced up at you and smiled.

“ You look adorable in his sweater but tell me again how on earth are you not sweating in that when you sleep?” she closed the book and sat up.

“ Oh, trust me. I am.” you chuckled and made your way towards the bed, sitting beside her.

“ Then why do you -”

“ We’re best friends, right?” you cut in, glancing away for a moment then back at her brown eyes.

“ Yeah. Of course.” she knotted her eyebrows and looked at you with a puzzled expression on her face. “ Why would you ask me that?” she smiled, yet her eyes showed that she was more serious than she intended to be.

“ Uhm...well...” you mumbled, fidgeting your fingers and tugging your sleeves down. “ Dumbledore told me that it’s better that nobody knows this and that I should just say I don’t remember anything about what happened to me but you’re like a sister to me and-” you felt something cut your throat and take your voice away. Tears shed from your eyes and you couldn’t even look at her.

She immediately wrapped you in her arms and kept the hug tight. “ Shhh. It’s alright. You can trust me.”

“ I-I-” your voice started to shake and you could barely see through the fat tears that kept gathering in your eyes and falling down your cheeks. “ I woke up in this dark room. I-I-I don’t know where exactly, all I remember that it was dark and that there were two people there. “ you sobbed and she took your hands in hers and squeezed them tightly. “ I-I don’t remember how I got there, I don’t remember what I was doing that day at all just...he was there- you-you know...” you tried to tell her but her eyes were only filled with worry.

“ Who was there?”

“ The Dark Lord a-and some guy. I- I don’t know. He was older and I couldn’t recognize him.” you shook your head. “ And he offered me a deal. You know- the -”

“ The Dark Lord.” she finished.” What deal?”

“ He said that if I become his follower that he would let me go. A-a-and if I don’t he’ll kill me and every single soul I ever made contact with.” more tears now fell down your cheeks and you felt her hold soften a bit.

“ (Y/n)...” she spoke softly, putting one hand on her mouth before letting a quiet sob.

“ I was scared and-and I thought of mum and dad, of you, of James, of-of everybody and I-I didn’t know what else to do.” you sobbed and threw your head in your hands.

“ (y/n), don’t tell me you’ve.”

“ I’ve agreed to take the deal.” you looked at her through your swollen eyes and showed her the Dark Mark.

Chilli gasped when her eyes met your forearm, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“ I couldn’t let him hurt you. I have to follow him. I have to say everything he does or he’ll kill all of you.” you cried. “ And I knew he wasn’t lying. He was determined about everything. I could see it in his eyes, the-the disappointment when I said yes. Bu-but when I said yes, I feel I’ve just ended someone else’s family. The lust of killing someone, it didn’t disappear. He went for someone else.”

Chilli kept quiet yet even though no word came out of her mouth, she threw herself in your embrace, hugging you as tightly as possible. You sobbed on her shoulder yet not because anything related to what you have just said but because she was still here, with you and not running away, and hiding.

She pulled away and cupped your cheeks immediately. “ You and me, Potter. We’re the it, the power duo. We’re Equals and as long as you live, I live. If you die, I die. I’ll walk beside you towards Heaven or Hell but I’ll never, ever let you go through something like this alone.”

---

It felt so liberating telling your secret. It felt lighter, showing something the darkest part of you.

Yet, still, there was guilt when he was around. When your brother confided in you when he told you about Remus’ furry little problem when he decided to tell you about his Animagnus or any secret he held inside of him.

How could you tell him? - You simply couldn’t.

---

James graduated, he has gotten himself the apartment and he was in the Order.

He protested, of course, he protested, saying he wouldn’t want you involved in this but if he only knew, you already were.

Chilli and you both got through a shit ton of pain and torture together. Mastering Occlumency, having hours and hours of Defense Against the Dark Arts classes, training to be double spies. However, the only thing you really held against Chilli was that she made herself a Death Eater as well.

* flashback *

“ I NEVER WANTED YOU TO GO THIS FAR! I NEVER WANTED YOU TO BECOME ONE!” you bellowed outside the Shrieking Shack.

“ I’VE TOLD YOU, I’LL WALK BESIDE YOU TOWARDS HEAVEN OR HELL! WE’RE EQUALS!” she bellowed back, her wand at her side as well as yours.

“ NO! WE’RE NOT!”

“ WELL, WE MIGHT AS WELL BECOME ONE!” she shouted and you stared at her. “We’ve been through thick and thin, (y/n). Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe we should really be marked as Equals? Come to think of it, don’t you think he- The Dark Lord- would want to turn us against each other but not if we get marked as Equals, not if you and I make a vow to never hurt each other.”

“ What?”

“ Besides Snape, you’re his favorite. He knows you’re a great witch. Pureblood, daring, cunning,...You’re everything he seeks in a wizard. “

“ So what? He wouldn’t care about me or my life.”

“ Yes but he trusts you. He knows you’ll obey, he knows you won’t stand down.” she continued, coming closer to you and taking your hands. “ He thinks he has you wrapped around his little finger but what he doesn’t realize it’s the other way around.”

*end of flashback*

So, the two of you were marked as Equals. The two of you weren’t separated on the missions, only on special occasions.

And nobody knew. Nobody knew except the two of you and Dumbledore.

“ Think of the most beautiful memory. The memory that you know would be the first and the last when the world turns dark.” his gentle voice echoed in the office and both of you with Chilli exchanged looks.

“ If I get it first, you’ll buy me a round at Three Broomsticks.” she smirked and you laughed.

“ It’s on Gonalez.” you smirked as well and was prepared to cast.

‘ After he finished putting on your tights, he turned to the wardrobe to get your dress but when he turned around, he stopped at the sight of your top. You were wearing your pink top with a golden snitch sewed on it. He smiled and shook his head. “ Why are you wearing that?”

You looked down at your top and beamed. “ Because you have the same one.” ‘

“ EXPECTO PATRONUS!” you shouted on top of your lungs and a silver light emerged from a tip of your wand.

There was some struggling to figure out the shape of it but it soon started to run on its four legs until it stopped to show its beautiful horns and majestic body.

“ Oh, my god. It’s a stag.” Chilli laughed and looked at you. “ Just like-”

“ James’ Animagnus.” you mumbled to yourself, smiling.

---

But the day had to come.

“ Boop.” you booped his tiny nose and he giggled. “ Where’s your nose?” you cooed to him, booping it again. “Boop. There it is.” you smiled at the 1-year-old and making him laugh.

“ You make such a great aunt.” said James who was sitting on the sofa, writing down some documents and looking up at you.

“ And to think, I used to hate you.” smiled Lily, placing a cup of tea to the coffee table beside you.

“ Same.” you chuckled and picked little Harry in your arms and lifting him up. “ He is just so adorable.” you hugged him and he giggled in your embrace. “ I just want to stay like this forever.” you rocked him left and right, his little black head pressed against your chest.

“ I’d ask you if you felt the same during his night-time.” Lily yawned and sat beside James, running her fingers through the side of his hair.

“ Believe it or not, I think he gets that from her. She was a cranky sleeper.” he glanced at you, smirking.

“ That’s because you were around.” you retorded back and Lily laughed.

“ You’re out of toilet paper.” said Sirius as he walked in the living room and stopped at the sight of you sitting on the floor and rocking baby Harry in your arms. He didn’t know whether to say something or keep quiet.

Because there you were, rocking him, smiling at the little boy, his Godson and you had this beautiful glow.

“ Again?” James groaned. “ Are you eating it, Pads because I swear it’s always out whenever you come to visit.”

“ Which is every day.” Lilly rolled her eyes and Sirius laughed.

“ What can I say. I drink a lot of water.” he shrugged and sat on the armchair, which gave a great view of you and the little toddler. “ So, how is the little guy?” he nodded at you and you smiled.

“ Well, I think he’s asleep but knowing he’s my nephew I feel like he’s just acting.” you looked down at his tiny fingers as they were still in his mouth.

“ Yeah, I remember when you used to do that.” James laughed and walked over to look at his son. “ He’s asleep. Just like his aunt, he puts his hand to his mouth when he falls asleep.”

“ Okay then.” you whispered and slowly got up the floor. “ I’ll just take him to his crib.”

When you gently put him down, you put a blanket over him and booped his nose one more time, gently. “ Night, Tiny.” you smiled and made your way back to the living room, yet surprised to see your best friend, Remus, and Dumbledore in the same room.

“ (y/n).” James looked at you, holding sobbing Lily in his arms.

“ What’s going on?”

“ We need to leave, now!” Chilli ordered while Lily shot from James embrace.

“ Wait! Where are the two of you going?”

“ What’s going on?” you asked when Chilly grabbed you by the wrist and tried to disapparate.

“ You either tell him now or he’ll find out when he calls us.” Chilli whispered, her glare serious as ever.

“ Find out what?” both Remus and Sirius looked at the two of you.

“ What?” James glanced at his friends and you. “ (Y/n)? Is there something you’re hiding from me?”

“ (y/n), you’re wearing short sleeves, the moment he calls us the charm will break and it will show. We have to go. Now.” she whispered more quietly yet still aggressively.

But it was too late. The area on your forearm burnt as well as on Chilli’s. She let go of you immediately, taking a hold of her own forearm. “ Let’s go! Now!” she shouted and you took one last glance at your brother, his eyes on your arm, his heart sinking deeper into his stomach.

“ Tiny?”

And you were gone.

[fallenangelspnfanfic]

Wayward Huntress : Chapter 10

WOOOOOH! Chapter 10 ! I made it yay!

This chapter is fully SMUT related I hope you’ll enjoy it!

For the readers who are like me and are suckers for some !GraceKink! well... you’ll be served!  

***REMINDER***

*Bold is used to illustrate thoughts*

-Y/N? What are you-

-Tsk tsk tsk. You softly shushed as you managed to stick your index up on the angel's lips. You were slowly crawling at his feet, entirely covered by the bed blanket. You let your fingers slide on the skin of his chest, while pampering his enochian tattoo with kisses. You could swear his abdomen was carved by God himself, without forgetting to mention those sharp hip bones that lead straight towards paradise.  

You stopped halfway from your final destination and unzipped his trouser pants carefully pulling them down and leaving Castiel in his skinny orange underwear. You smiled to yourself as you saw his member twitched while you massaged his crotch, still captured inside his clothed prison.

-Relax, my angel.  I'll show you what's Heaven on Earth.  you whispered as you finally freed his hardening member.

You could feel him getting tense as you felt his legs tremble under you. You wrapped your fingers around his shaft and started to gently stroke it as it gained stiffness. When you were satisfied with his now fully grown erection, you bit your lower lip in apprehension to what you were about to do. You were so minded, you woke up confident and filled with a relentless desire of showing him what you were able to do. You wanted to give Castiel the best oral sex ever, even if you knew you were probably the first conqueror and that he had nothing else to compare it with, you wanted that angelic being to squirm under you.

While you maintained a rhythm with your right hand, you tried to turn up the excitement by licking, blowing and kissing everything but where he needed your mouth to be. You heard his low grunts and you instantly pulled the cover from your head so you could admire the flushed angel beneath you. His lips were partly opened as he looked down at you with lustful eyes. You smirked at him, you felt empowered as you were taking charges of his pleasure. You started off slowly, exploring the terrain using slow wide strokes with your tongue on his manhood, making sure to use a lot of saliva to lube it entirely. You couldn't hear his pants but the way his chest frantically heaved told you he was enjoying this new experience. Enough with the foreplay, you circled your lips around the tip of his cock and took it in your mouth while making sure your tongue flattened every sensible spot as your head travelled up the underside of his member. You felt the angel jerked under you and when you looked up, you caught a sinful glimpse of Castiel with shut eyes and a gaping mouth, completely lost in delight. Thunderstrokes of desire hit you right in the core as your eyes fixed the angel in ecstasy while you kept working your magic. You were stroking with your hand the base of his shaft in unison with your mouth which was going up and down, particularly paying attention to its head since every times your tongue pressed there he would twitch under you.

-Y/N... This- This is-    

*low and deep moans/grunts*

As you both started to get caught in the heat of the moment, you reached for your pussy with your free hand to rub your clit as in a way to help building your orgasm as well. You wanted him to know how much you loved doing this for him so you hummed against his cock causing gorgeous vibrations to travel his manhood and he instantly thrusted his hips. The angel continued thrusting inside your mouth and you thought his release was close as you both moaned loudly. You shot him a glare as you suddenly felt his grace working on your throbbing clit, consistently pressurizing and titillating it as if a starving obsessed mouth was covering it. You stopped your movement, leaning your head on his hip as you let yourself get immersed by that blissful wave of pleasure.

-Cas... St-stop. This morning is a-all about y-you. you managed to say aloud without flinching to those incredible sensations that were happening down there.

Everything instantly stopped and you restarted from where you left. It didn't take long before the angel reached the peak of his orgasm. You heard his rasp breath and as you kept working his climax, the room lit up with a powerful white light that would have burned your eyes if you had kept them opened. A millisecond later, the light died as Castiel spilled himself inside your mouth, grunts and enochian words escaping his lips.

You climbed back to the head of the bed and kissed on the pink cheek of your flushed angel.

-We should probably get out of bed. You claimed as you watched the time on your cell phone. Shit, it's almost 2 pm. They gonna think I died in here. you joked while peering back at Cas who had a satisfied grin plastered on his face.

-And I thought angels would have more stamina than that. You threw him a cushion as he laid there, motionless. C'mon get up, Feathers. you giggled

The angel's eyes flashed up opened as soon as the word feather left your mouth. He squinted his eyes at you as you got up from bed.

-What? you added while trying to look innocent. You don't like that nickname? Huh, Feathers?  

You barely had time to turn around to gather some pieces of clothing off the floor that he was already fully dressed, while a second earlier he was still naked under the covers. You cocked one of your eyebrows as you tried to maintain the wave of laughs that were threatening to get out, but the seraph rapidly took one of your arms and pulled you close to him, so close that you could taste the smell of him. He looked down at you with severe eyes, the same look he gave you the first night at the bunker when you were arguing in Sam's room.

-Don't call me Feathers, Y/N. Castiel warned with his deep voice.

-Or what? you challenged with the best sterned voice you could afford. Your cocky reply did not even seem to surprise the angel whose lips slightly curved up into a malicious grin.

-Or... you'll see how I tend to punish those who do not listen to my warnings. he answered while spoiling with kisses the hollow of your neck. Your body was now firmly molded against his and you felt a hard bulge pressing on your thigh that almost took your arrogance out from you.

But not quite yet.

-Game on... Feathers.

-Hey there, sleepy head! Dean sarcastically applauded your arrival in the kitchen, interrupting the conversation in which Sam and Castiel were immersed leaning over some papers scattered over the table.

Sam quickly lifted his head and raised his eyebrows as he looked at you from head to toe. Dean smirked as he side-eyed his brother and his friend who both held their breath as they appreciated the view. Cas quickly glanced at Sam and returned his attention back on the papers, flustered. You wore with pride your silky lavender gown which barely covered your physical assets and made sure to sway your hips as you stepped in the kitchen.

-Hey, Y/N. Sam greeted as he regained control of his dangling jaw. Coffee's ready if you want some.

-Oh, okay cool... I smell bacon. Where's the bacon, Dean? you squint your eyes playfully, pointing an accusing finger towards him.

-Sweetheart. Dean shocked in head, in disappointment, you should know by now that bacon is reserved to people who gets up before the sun rises.

-Pfft. Right. As if Sam eats bacon. you huffed as you poured yourself a cup of coffee.

Your felt pairs of eyes lingering on your back as you stood in front of the kitchen counter, which confirmed why you wouldn't usually wear that kind of clothing around fellow hunters. But in this time of war, all weapons were on deck. You peered back at the table and noticed a free spot next to Dean, right in front of Cas and Sam.

-Nice PJs Y/N. Dean cooed jokefully as you sit next to him, a grin smacked on his face. First time I recalled you're a girl since we saw you dancing at that bar. he continued, teasing you.

-Shut up, Dean. you nudged his side without leaving the upset angel out of your sight. Have you told that jerk about what we found yesterday night? you asked Sam as you tried to seem interested but what you really wanted was sitting right in front of you.

- ...Sam?

-Oh uhhh, yes. Sam looked as if he zoned out for a while. Actually, we've been looking more into those Men of letters reports and they're a couple that you should really find interesting. See....

After a couple minutes of discussing with Sam, Dean and Cas, you finally saw the opportunity to carry on with your malicious plan. Dean stood up and stretched himself getting ready to leave.

-Aight, enough with the books for today. I'm out. Gonna go make some errands.

-More like a beer run, huh ? Sam reported with a knowing look, always one step ahead of his big brother.

-No.........Maybe.... Shut up.

You snorted as Dean left the room, leaving you alone with both Sam and Cas. The three of you then returned your attention to the files for a while. A nasty smile grew on your face as you slipped on the bench to be directly in front of the angel who had not spoken a word since you sat at the table and you could feel the excitement rising inside you while you prepared your next move.

-Sam, could you pass me that document please? you implored as you began to subtly rub your right foot against Cas' leg under the table. Your heart hammered in your chest under the tension of being caught.

The hunter pushed the file on the wooden table without drawing his eyes away from his book. You took advantage of Sam's concentration to push further your nasty scheme. The seraph jerked unintentionally as you got bolder, your foot climbing up to his inner thigh and for the first time yet, you met his gorgeous azul eyes which were filled with curiosity. You bit on your lower lip as you looked down to your revealing neckline and let the flow of naughty thoughts submerge your mind. Castiel's eyes followed yours and he couldn't help the predatory look on his face as he understood what was on your mind.

‘'Castiel, I want you. I need you, need to feel your body pressed against mine.''

You elegonted your foot so you could reach his crotch and you felt his trouser pants getting tighter under your touch.

''Two can play that game, Blossom.''

You smiled when you heard the echo on his voice in your mind but you couldn't care less even after he warned you. You were savoring this instant.

''I can feel your warmth under the sol of my foot, angel. I know you want me too. I know you want to bear me down to that table and fuck the stubbornness out of me.''

The angel blinked lethargically as he contempted your wicked grin. You didn't know if he would jump across the table or just magically disappear but you knew he was on the verge of exploding, which made your buzz even more agreeable.

'' I can still feel your thick chapped lips scrapping my skin as you kissed my naked breasts. I c- I ca-hmm...I... what the???''

You knocked your knee under the table as you abruptly straightened up on your seat and took away your foot from Castiel's.

'' You want me to fuck you in front of Sam, Y/N? Show him that you're mine?''

You tried your best to keep a neutral facial expression as you felt Castiel's grace unrelentingly shove into you. His sudden boldness caught you off guard and a subtle victory smile was drawn on his face as you squirmed on your seat, desperately trying to seal yourself by squeezing your thighs together.

You took a deep, long breath to release the steam that was accumulating inside you. You haven't said your last word.

You were mentally plotting your next move when you were suddenly taken aback as Sam stood up out of the blue.

-I'm starving. Y/N, you want something? Cas?

You shook your head. You could not even pronounce a simple no without fearing of letting go one of the ravenous whimpers that threatened to break out from your throat at any moment.

-No. thank you, Sam. Castiel calmly stated. You squint your eyes at the seraph as he answered, how could he remain marble like that? You gathered what little strength was left in you.

-You know Feathers doesn't eat, Sammy. Why even bother asking. you sneered back at the angel who clenched his jaw as his fingers drummed tempestuously on the table.

You both stared deeply at each other and from Sam's point of view you were about to rip each others throats. If he only knew...

-Hey guys, bring it down a notch. Please, I know you can't stand each other but, no fighting. the hunter implored as he made himself a sandwich.

He sighed as he returned his attention back to his lunch when he understood it was a lost cause. You turned back to face the angel a proud smile on your lips, blinking innocently as if nothing happened.

'' No need to play with words when in my case, I can just... brush'' you felt a shiver down your spine as invisible feathers grazed your skin.

''Grip'' you gasped as hasty hands grasped your inner thighs and pushed them opened.

''Kiss'' you craned your head to the side and your eyes closed as you felt lips pecking all over the skin of your neck.

''Massage'' you bit your lip as you felt hands palming your breasts.

''Pinch... Lick...Suck...''

All those feelings at once was more than you could handle. You were in conflict with your own body as you tried your best to suppress the involuntary movements which responded to his grace. You heard the heavy metal door close shut in the background, indicating that Dean should be back but you couldn't care less as you got more and more worked up by that unheeding angel.

''Finger...Slide...Twirl...''

-ENOUGH. you barked as you roughly stood up and every sensations instantly died.

You rushed outside of the kitchen leaving a dumbfounded Sam and a more than pleased Castiel behind.

- What the hell happened to Y/N? I heard her shout all the way to the front. Dean asked his brother as he uncapped two bottles of beer and shove him one.

Sam shrugged as he bit into his sandwich. Castiel left just after Dean arrived without mentioning where he was heading to.

-I don't know... I think Cas made her upset...

-They had a go at it again? I thought they learnt to get along. Dean huffed as he ruffled through his hair with one hand while trying to subtly shove Sam’s plate with the other.

-Actually, do you wanna check up on her? Just... I think Cas might have followed her. Sam demanded his brother as he scolded the back of his hand off his meal with a slap.

Dean rolled his eyes and got up snorting.

-And I thought it was you that had a crush on her. he hissed as he left the kitchen.

------

As Dean was walking towards your door, he noticed that the door was cracked open.

“Hmm….maybe I should burst into her room and scare this little asshat out of her skin”

Dean; feeling proud of himself for his soon to be mischievous behavior, he heard a commotion from your room and stopped dead in his tracks.

“What the hell is going on…..is Cas in there with her?! Are they fighting?! Shit this could be bad”

Without a moment of hesitation Dean entered flight or fight mode and bursted into her room.

- WHAT THE HELL IS GOING…….on? Dean is left standing in the middle of room completely dumbfounded to what is before his eyes.

Cas had you pinned against the wall with your shirt off, and your legs locked around the angel’s waist. You both peered at the intruder who is now left with his Jaw wide opened.

- Son.Of.A.Bitch 

EXTRA : 

[seungmin-jpeg]

Stray Kids On Tumblr // Jisung

Chan // Woojin // Minho // Changbin // Hyunjin // Jisung // Felix // Seungmin // Jeongin

One of the few members that actually 

Spent a goooood amount of time on his header

And his desktop theme actually 

Like actually learned how to do some html coding to make his blog nice

Works really hard to keep is blog running smoothly

Doesn’t ever use queue tho

Really isn’t that invested 

Anyways 

He’s had the blog since forever

Like ever

Got on tumblr to destress after school

Then continued to use it to destress after he’s long days of training

he just wanted a nice looking blog

Never really made his own posts 

Like he’d go through phases of posting his own things

Little bits of lyrics and poems and texts and stuff

Nothing to fancy

He’d follow some block b’s zico stuff

Because role models am i right

So he’d be aware of the big kpop side of tumblr

He’d be the type of blogs that would write short-ish pieces 

Where there was no real plot

Not really any characters either 

Just like aesthetic writing

Something that started out as a melody in his head

And he’d take that melody and put it into words and post it

Each person could interpret in their own way

Which is why those types of posts ended up taking off

He’d never really post them to often

Because i mean how often can he just put a melody into words

And then yah know eventually he started putting that towards 3racha and stray kids

But every now and then when he would think of something that wouldn’t ever fit with the two of them

He’d write it down

But this is how he got your attention

You’d followed his blog a bit ago

Probably around the time he was a trainee

You couldn’t really remember how you got there

But once you saw some kpop stuff there

And get even further into his blog

And found his little written bits

You followed him right away

You were always waiting for him to post another little bit of writing

And when he finally did

It was even more amazing then you had expected it to be

And you couldn’t help but to leave an ask

Going on about how great his blog was and how much you loved his writing and just wow

And of course he was like 

Woooooh someone likes me weird brain dumb posts enough to leave an ask like this?? 

And he checks out your blog naturally 

Because of the ask it links him to your main blog

And its pretty normal

He sees a few kpop posts and is like

Hey!!! They’re into kpop!

And then he sees the links in your description

And checks a few of them out 

And then 

Oh and thennnnn

He clicks on the link that leads to your stray kids blog

And his jaw drops

Because what

He’d been on tumblr for so long

But this is one of the first stray kids blogs he’s ever found

Naturally he’s got this huge swelling feeling in his heart

But he’s also just kinda like

Someone who’s a fan of me found my other blog

Somehow

And still likes me??? 

Even without knowing its actually me??? 

Shook

He cant help but follow you

He follows both your main blog

And your sk blog

Because why not

Of course you notice right away

How would you not notice that such an amazing and inspirational blog followed you

AND your stray kids blog at that

Another stray kids fan!!!!

That in itself was exciting

He likes and reblogs a good bit of your stray kids stuff

And your like

Can’t let this moment pass

So you message him and are just kinda like 

“Hey thanks for following me i really love your blog your writing is amazing. Also i see you like stray kids?” 

And thus the start of a beautiful relationship 

Of course you had nooooooo clue you were talking to the Han Jisung of Stray Kids

The j.one of 3racha

Probably for the best

Because you’d actually die if you knew it was him

Also it’d totally be risky for jisung himself

But somehow the two of you keep in contact 

And actually find decent things to talk about

Instead of giving you his name 

Because he’s smart enough to not thank goodness

He just went by his nickname 

“Squirrel” 

And you’re like yes the cutest nickname i love it 

And then moved on

You called him your “squirrel” 

And he somehow ended up calling you his “puppy” 

And thats just how it stayed

Even when you’d tag each other in posts 

He’d use your nickname 

And you’re follows where always ???

Why puppy???

Tbh you didn’t know either but you just went with it 

Not gonna lie you found it super cute 

Made your heart feel all fluttery 

You loved talking with your squirrel

And he really loved talking with you 

But as the survival show got more intense 

And then stray kids debut on the horizon 

And you were kinda ;___;

Because where’s your squirrellll 

Little did you know jisung was missing you a lot too

Anyways one day you were watching a vlive

And a group of the boys were talking about things they miss

And jisung 

Real chill was just like

Oh i miss my puppy

And you were just kinda ???

Cause you didn’t know jisung had a puppy

Felix had clearly been thinking the same thing apparently

Because he were like 

Wait you have a dog???

And he just kinda looked at felix and then glanced at the camera and smiled before turning back to whatever he was doing before

And you couldn’t help but feel ??? that maybe ??? 

Maybe that was about you?? 

But you pushed that thought out real quick

That’s bs there’s no way that had anything to do with you

So you just finished the vlive and went back to scrolling through tumblr

And then  you stumbled across a list of the sk members nicknames 

And oh gosh

Jisungs nickname 

Of course it was 

His nickname was squirrel 

Now everything you had worked so hard to shove down earlier was coming back

And coming back much stronger

Your squirrel wasn’t han jisung right

It couldn’t be

There was absolutely no way it could be

But you couldn’t help it anymore

So you messaged jisung

And just kinda said something like

Hey did you know you and jisung go by the same nickname?? 

And surprisingly faster than usual he messaged you back and was like 

“Yah, isn’t that ironic?!” 

And you’re just kinda like …..

And then you get another message and its like 

“He also really misses his puppy too!” 

And you’re like 

…….

And he just kinda sends you a winky face 

And your like “there’s no way”

You get a “lol” back

At this point you’re 95% sure it is him

So you take a deep breath and say

“You’d tell me if it’s true right?” 

And he says

“Didn’t i already tell you tho?” 

Youre screaming now

Hes pretty much screaming too

“So you’re really him” you send off

“I’ll only answer if you say it for real” 

“But if im wrong that's embarrassing” 

“pup how can you be wrong at this point”

You can practically hear him laughing at you 

“Wouldn’t it be bad for you to have it so straight forward tho? If we keep it like this then technically i dont have any solid evidence its you…” you say

He takes a bit to respond 

“I guess you’re right…” 

And thus you somehow ended up becoming the mom friend to jisung 

Well...friend… the “friend” part is up in the air… 

[justlikefantasy]

Host

Pairing : reader x Baekhyun

Genre : Fluff , streamer!au , gamer!au

Warnings : mention alcohol

Words : 1.5 K

1.5, 02, 03

A/N : hello, hello, so this is part one of this fic. It’s kind of short but there will be a 1.5 as Baekhyun point of view that will be uploaded either Wednesday or Thursday night, if this sounds interesting to you. As always, feel free to like or let any constructive comments <3 

For the past years, the video game industry has been dominant, especially online. Entertainers such as youtuber and streamer gained popularity quickly. Some used it to help pay school, others made it their living, for you it was just a way to meet new people and make new friends.

You were not the most popular channel online but it didn’t matter, you had a good community and you could interact closely with your fans which was really important to you. Focusing mostly on creating YouTube contents, one of your subscriber requested that you start streaming so they could enjoy some times with your actual self. You agreed and the surprisingly the feedback were positive so you kept on doing them, your channel growing a bit bigger and eventually becoming a regular streamer.  

It was a cozy summer night, not to hot so your room wouldn’t feel like a sauna with your computer running. Your cat serenely sleeping on your bed, you gave him a small pat, small purr being heard at your touch.  Heading towards your computer desk, sitting in your chair making it pivot before putting your headphones on. You took a last check at your stream settings making sure everything was working before turning the video on.  

Today was Friday, which mean Tipsy Friday. You didn’t mean for it to happened but one night, having had a few too many drink, you thought it would be entertaining to stream while intoxicated, bringing another side of you to life. Most of your subscriber showed up to your unusual activity, shocking you a bit since it was quite early in the morning. There were about 175 viewers when it happened but once it got on twitter and tumblr the next morning, your community went crazy, stating how you were such a different person but in a cute way, begging to see a bit more of this side. It couldn’t do you wrong and it was quite enjoyable for you to do it, so you agreed to do it again next Friday. And the one after, and so on.

A bottle of wine sitting next to your monitor, your chat casually interacting with themselves before the beginning of your stream. You waited until eight o’clock to start your streams. The moment you opened your webcam greetings from your viewers fled in the cha.

You waved to the camera, greeting some of your viewers saying their usernames.  You wondered sometimes how did people come up with their names. Taking a sip of your glass of wine, you read some question in the chat before answering them.

‘’ What am I going to play tonight ‘’ you said out loud ‘’ well what do you guys think about a viewer match of League of Legends? ‘’ The chat went alive, spamming some custom emojis one of your fan made not too long ago. You chose ten randomly league ID before adding them into the custom match.

The night was going great, you would sometimes get small donations or new subscribers startling you most of the times because of the sounds it makes. You were now half a bottle of wine gone, your speech and words getting a little slurred the more it goes.  

‘’ WOooOoh, guyyyyyys we hit 400 viewers!’’ you said after taking a quick glance at your second monitor disposing on the left of your desk displaying your streaming page. While backing to base in the game, you took the opportunity to do a quick heart with your fingers towards your camera sending a small kiss at the same thing. You’ve never had so many viewers when you streamed. Who would have thought a drunk girl playing videogames was so interesting?

The game was getting to an end, your team taking down the nexus towers as quick as possible before the enemy team respawned. And not even 30 seconds later it was GG, your team won. What you liked about viewers game is that nobody would rage, they all know it is only for fun and winning or losing doesn’t mean anything, so you were grateful. Pouring yourself another glass of wine, you made it your last one for the night, you were getting drunk, too drunk and you wouldn’t be able to handle your stream if you keep it up. Taking a look at your stream you saw yourself in the monitor, replacing your hair a little bit, making sure you looked the cutest possible.  Your chat was getting noisy and there was a lot of fussing, which was unusual. You whined playfully at your chat going crazy, what could all the fuss be about. Please, let it not be a raid.

1,200 viewers

You choked when you saw the number of viewers and the number of new followers you gained in the last hours. Was alcohol affecting you that much? Confusion was written all over your face, you looked at the chat dumbfounded trying to figure out what was going on. It was really hard with all the spamming emojis some of the viewers kept sending. You scrolled through your chat when you found it, the small piece of information you needed.

S_O_A456: y/n !!!!!!!!!!! look at your viewers

Jindonutsoflove : y/n!!!!!

Kikittykiss : OMG EXO IS HOSTING HER

Chaniepuppy: :kappa:

S_O_A456 : omg y/n!!! EXO BAEKHYUN I SHOSTING YOU

S_O_A456 : y/n !!!!

Chawae87: :kappa:

EXO_fanboy120 : :kappa:

kingKris: :kappa:

This has to be a joke. Your cheek went a shade of pink, nervously laughing, you tried to hide them with your hands covering your face.

EXO_Baekhyun is hosting you.

You couldn’t believe it. The best AD Carry in the world, is hosting your channel. How did he even find it? Stunned at how unreal the situation was getting you couldn’t help the constant giggle coming out of you.

‘’ I-I- Ehm’’ you didn’t know what to say, or react, so you just greeted them the best you could rambling incoherent words about yourself and your stream.

‘’Thankssssss to EXO_Baekhyun for hosting my stream! By the way you’re really fucking hot’’ you said, making a small gun with your finger, shooting towards your camera with a wink. You’ll regret it tomorrow morning but for now, this was the best you could do in your intoxicated state, bluntly saying what’s on your mind, passing for the biggest fangirl ever.

Chawae87: she hot tho, might donate if shes decent lmao

Firefighter45: did someone called me kek wassup hottie😉

….

whoNeeda_username: can I play with you, add me

..

 You were getting a lot of request for people to play with you so you decided to change people every game, except for one of your best friend who was always with you helping with running your stream, especially when you were drunk.

Bad decisions kept coming but laughter and joy happened until the very last minutes of your streams. You were exhausted and drunk. You said your goodbye to your chat, before closing your stream and heading towards your bathroom, changing into your pyjamas and brushing your teeth.  Heading back to your bedroom, you plumped yourself under your blankets, carefully trying not to wake up your cat to which you failed miserably. You mumbled a small sorry to her, before she went back to sleep, being followed by you.

The next morning was painful. The sun aggressively burning your face, waking you up from your hangover state. Your mouth was dry, your eyes heavy and your head felt like it was being stabbed by multiple knife. You groaned before getting out of the cozy spot your body was resting in heading towards your bathroom taking the small bottle of aspirin out of the cupboard on top of your sink, shoving two little caplets in your mouth, downing a glass of water to help you swallow them down. Opening the bath faucet, you let it fill completely. Stripping out of your pyjamas you meticulously entered the bath filled with the warm water. The heat was relaxing and healing your sore body. You felt clean and renew. Stayed like that for a good ten minutes, you reached for your phone and looked at the infinite amount of alert you got. Maybe you should check what’s going on in your small community. Opening the tumblr app, you started scrolling through your tags, a multitude of gif sets as well as edit of your last night stream making their appearance. It’s crazy how people can be so creative and took the time to edit your contents. It was for small action like that that you kept on doing it. However, the more you looked through the tags, the more you cringed at your last night actions before being interrupted by a new notification.

EXO.Baekhyun has started following you.

[wannabe-cartoonist-blog]

Reactions to Official SBM Recordings

A bit spoiler-y if you haven't seen the show or listened to the new recordings of the songs. So proceed with caution.

ACT 1

Intro/Bikini Bottom Day

-here we goooooo

-ahhhhh ze narrator

-love how they include sb's foghorn alarm, just gonna say that

-award goes to Ethan for the cutest yAWN

-ethan is using such a soft tone of voice and it's honestly perfect

-"meow"

-the shoe squeaks!!

-the laugh was a little weaker than other performances but I'll let it slide cause he's so cute

-I thought it was "where the sun shines down" not "when" but apparently not

-MY BOI PATRICK STAR

-"oOOO OOOO I want a verse!!!"

-I love the difference between his singing voice and the Patrick Voice (tm)

-the chorus harmonizing in the bg

-sQUIDY

-Gavin Lee sounds a little strange...like Squidward sounds like he could't care less about anything and is so resigned to his loud neighbors

-which...he is....but he sounds off idk. Still a good performance tho

-like with Pat, there's a distinction between his singing voice and speaking voice

-he sounds good though but not like the live performances....idk if that's good or bad

-the fart noise strikes again

-RIGHT INTO SANDY'S PART

-love the country track

-she sounds so nice 10/10

-that "daaaaAYYYYY" 10000/10

-they didn't include the explosion or like all of the dialogue that follows it but I like it. Keeps the flow of the song going

-KRABS

-THE WALKING NOISE

-plankton's voice is so deep and smooth, I love it

-KAREN'S "forever" WAS MADE TO SOUND COMPUTERIZED THAT WAS A REAL NICE TOUCH

-"CLeeeeeveeeeerr" melted butter

-I love krabs, Karen, and plankton singing together

-Squidward is so depressed 10/10

-pearls deep voice is 10000/10

-spongey sounds so sad after being shot down, perfection

-"everyone would say GOOD MORNING MR. SQUAREPANTS"

-the CHORUS!!!!!!

-I freaking love this song

-it captures the town so perfectly

-they finish the song without being interrupted by the volcano, very nice choice

No Control

-the panic

-Perch Perkins could punch me in the face and I would thank him

-velvet voice. Pure velvet.

-sandy, sponge, pat, sandy, THE BABIES

-all of krab's parts sounds much better than the live versions, not gonna lie

-smooth-voiced plankton once again. He and perch need a duet but I think I'd actually melt from it

-kAREN

-I love the bg singing, heck yeah

-"the end. Is. Coming!"

-spongey

-ETHAN'S "WOOOOOH" OMG I WASNT READY

-there are 3 ticks instead of 2, that's interesting

-David Bowie did a really good job with this. So sad he didn't get the hear the finished product.

-Thank you, David Bowie. Rest In Peace.

B.F.F.

-oh, boy I'm ready

-that cute acoustic sound oh yes

-classic Plain White Ts

-I love how they remember that spongebob wears glasses sometimes 1000/10

-their voices compliment each other so well wow

-I love pat's singing voice, did I mention?

-the best friend dance part kills me every time

-the instrumental bit 1000/10

-"feeling good" part literally knocked the breath out of me

-"you're my best friend forever!"

-"B.F.F that stands for"

"Spongebob and Patrick" <33333

When the Going Gets Tough

-"give me some muuuusic, Karen"

-KAREN IS PERFECTION

-"exCUSE ME?"

-"e-he-he"

-this sounds so freaking cool

-for the 700th time, I love plankton's voice

-the sponge rap!!!!

-"you've got one day left go home and pack"

-plankton changes his tone slightly near the middle/end and I almost had a heart attack cause it sounded so good

-they included the krabs and plankton interaction about the sleeves, good choice

-"I'm a one-celled organism...I don't even HAVE sleeeeVES."

-the MAYOR!!!!

(Just A) Simple Sponge

-I've listened to this about 100000 times already

-but I'll do this anyway

-again, Ethan always sounds so pure

-he really nails the innocence of sb

-the bg chorus is fantastic

-I love all the references in this song

-Brendan Urie did a great job

-I really love how this song is in reference to krabs' opinion of sb. That's always been a really cool relationship dynamic

-sb is like a son to krabs and krabs is kinda a father figure? (I know sb has a dad but) sb is always looking to krabs for approval and when he looses it he gets real down (the second movie has a cool nod to this; "you were like an underpaid son to me")

-all these artists could've just written songs that these characters could sing, but they all wrote songs that these characters would sing. They all really nail the characters and I’m so grateful for that.

-the last note is so damn powerful I love ethan slater

Daddy Knows Best

-this song always sounds good

-love how pearl made sure to always keep her voice deep

-"money, money" that's 100% pure Eugene Krabs

-LOVE THE CONTRAST BETWEEN PEARL'S SINGING AND SPEAKING VOICE

-opposite of Patrick's

-she sings so softly

-THE BEAUTIFUL SCREECHES OF "DADDY"

-I love Krabs

-the cries

-"DADDDDDDYYYYYYYYY"

"MONNNNNEYYYYYY"

Hero Is My Middle Name

-spongey, I love you

-this song is such a cute bop

-it's so 80s, thanks Cindy Lauper

-"yeahH"

-"mine's Jennifer" was included heck yeah

-the slide whistle sound

-WHEN THEY SING TOGETHER

-"alriiight!"

-the way sandy says "courage" and "myyyyyy middle name" I love

-"us go!"

-love the instruments at the end

-the bandstand-y type music for when Pat dances, SO GOOD

SuperStar Seastar Savior

-this is one of those songs I didn't really care for live

-but MY GOD ITS AMAZING AS A RECORDING

-LISTEN TO THOSE HARMONIES

-it really does sound gospel-y

-pATRICK

-he sounds so pure "my new friends"

-"does anybody bake?"

-GOD HE SOUNDS SO GOOD

-THE TWANG

-"ME"

-"uh, I dunno"

-"figARO"

-the wrestling announcer towards the end

-"y'all praise pink!"

-the explosion what a perfect way to end it

Tomorrow Is

-lili, slay me

-oO the shift!!!

-the sb and sandy harmony yes very good

-squidy still sounds a little strange but I love him

-krabs always on point

-"oooo"

-god, plankton's voice is velvet

-"victoryyyyy"

-spongey boy, god, he's so hurt by Pat im crying

-tHE CHORUS

-bikini bottom day reprise, I'm in actual tears

-gOD

ACT II

Poor Pirates

-another one I didn't care for live

-but the recording captures it so much better

-it just sounds so different

-the KAZOO

-"en-c-i-n-o"

-"h-winds in our earrings"

"don'tcha know pirates have feelings?"

-"p-o-o-rrrrrrr people too"

-bg guy who says "we've too many too gold teeth"

-I really really love this

-"the BLOOMIN ONION"

-Talk Like A Pirate Day is now a fully international holiday idc what anyone has to say

-god, the instrumentation is on point

-Sara Bareilles did an amazing job (listen to some of the songs from The Waitress if you like her stuff. She wrote for and stared in that too. "She Used To Be Mine" is amazing)

Bikini Bottom Boogie

-okay, this also sounds better than it was live

-that guitar, man

-really does sound like a good ol' rock ballad

-nice job, Aerosmith

-IM FEELING IT ALRIGHT

-"rad, gnarly, and tIGHT"

-"kiss my JELLYFISH"

-what a freakin bop

-yEAH

Chop To the Top

-the banjo oh yes yes yes

-I'm in love with it already

-tHE FIDDLE

-sandy is so pure

-"keep it moving don't stop till you drop" that's new I love it

-sPONGY YOU CAN DO IT

-"way" the TWANG HAS PASSED ON TO SB NOW

-F THIS IS THE REAL BOP

-pURE TOO PURE

-LILI, GOD YOURE KILLING ME

-ehem, yes this was fantasic. 

-Great job, Lady Antebellum

(I Guess I) Miss You

-oh boi, here we go feels

-just imaging John Legend writing this while playing piano while Chrissy Teegan watches on in the bg is hilarious to me

-pat, my boy I'm in tears

-the "I"s in this song are good no matter how you're listening to it

-sponge is so HURT

-"nobody can make me laugh like you" :((((((

-the har-mon-iES

-IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII-e-I'm in pain

-"bring my sunshine back again" the sad twang :,((((((((((((((((((

-nobody talk to me for a month I need to recover

I'm Not a Loser

-the piano, oh yes

-he's really doing the nasally thing

-it works tho

-he sounds much more put together and sure of himself than live, yet not, if that makes sense???? Gavin Lee gave it a different performance and I give him props

-the CRYING

-"huha?"

-*monotone* "this is weird"

-*just going with it* "okay"

-"look at me now mama!"

-okay, this is just my opinion but I think squidy just sounds better live???

-"I'm not a loooossar"

-the "stay at home" girl is always great

-"hey. Shhhhst."

Best Day Ever

-oh, we're here already omg

-pure sponge boy, pure

-I still get all choked up when the "best day ever" tune starts

-he sounds so SWEET

-sandy chiming in

-Pat joining heck yeah, yeah

-"dum, dum, dum, dum"

-really like how they changed "just tying my shoe" in the tv show version to "just being with you"

-I LOVE WHEN THE CHORUS COMES IN EVERY NOW AND THEN

-the Elvis impersonation is always great

-that bg girl after Squidward comes in? Amazing.

-"this is it, everyone" IM GONNA DIE

-this is so soft and so dark

-the soft countdown that gets more and more scared omg

Bikini Bottom Day Reprise

-the ukelele gets me every time

-it's the perfect instrument for sb

-"busy day" I'LL SAY

-I love everything about this

-Mr krabs?? I forgot he had a line in this?? Did he ever??? I LIKE IT

-the cymbals, play it pearl yes yes

-Pearl, you're killing it

-"a simple sponge can be handy when you're cleaning up spills" omg

-"sometimes you need a hero with some management skills" squidy that was such an amazing thing to say

-"hey there, that's me" it sure is, my son. It sure is.

-I LOVE BIKINI BOTTOM DAY JUST SO YOU KNOW

-the ending, the ENDING OMG

-"meow" I LOST IT

-the crazy instruments all at once, god it's great

-everyone in this town is a child

The SpongeBob SquarePants Theme/Closing

-*HEADBANGS*

-oMGGGGGGGGGGG

-THIS IS THE THEME REDUAL I NEEDED AND DIDNT EVEN KNOW IT

-THE GUITAR AT THE END

-well, I'm in tears and throwing all my money at this show

-and you should too

-also congrats if you made it this far with me on this incredible journey of pain, references, and fluffy feelings

[justcravingattention]

Woooooh these last two comments hit me hard.

Lately as I deal with my own kids I am increasingly aware of how the old-school model of ~discipline (i.e. a system of rules & punishments) is far less effective than simply modeling & incentivizing desirable behaviors.

Unfortunately, another aspect of child development touched on by the above stories is the mob mentality that sometimes takes over when you have groups of kids following one ringleader who acts out in search of attention. I think that with that, as well, “discipline” is likely to backfire. “Don’t talk to That Kid™️, he’s a troublemaker!” isn’t going to go over well. But modeling/point out better treatment of others will send the right message.

With respect to my own family, I recently resolved to break the cycle of gossipy bitchdom. My mom & grandma were constantly talking about our relatives, not necessarily badmouthing them but general busybody-style discussion. And if the other relatives were also present they’d talk about the ones who weren’t. My grandma was allllways stirring the pot and went through various phases of not talking to a niece or cousin because of something dumb. According to my mom, my grandma didn’t talk to my great-aunt (her sister-in-law) for two years because of a comment someone made about a rug. The whole scene definitely ingrained in me that this is ~normal & therefore acceptable. Now, as I contemplate how I want my children to behave, I’m trying not to speak badly about family in front of them. (This is a struggle, as I grapple with all of my parents’ subpar parenting choices & the effects these had on my sister & me, & as my parents are getting older & need my help more frequently.)

Tl;dr hard pass on “discipline” in the old-school sense & big ups to modeling respectful behavior.

I never see anyone talking about how kids can abuse adults though. 

Growing up I saw a lot of adult teachers get bullied by students and it sucked. They would purposely push them to their breaking point until they exploded, yelled, cursed, threw desks, and the ones who didn’t have that kind of reaction would just quit or end up fired because the kids would start rumors. One was because our new math teacher was effeminate so the guys thought “obviously this guy is gay and he’s after our dicks” and if he was ever nice to a male student (which… he was nice and friendly with EVERYONE and was the best teacher we’d had that year) they would start whispering behind me, “yo, look at that, did you see that? He’s flirting with his male students, that’s nasty” and so they made trouble for him. 

My mother worked at a Discovery Zone type place when I was little and she would come home and break down crying because groups of little boys would call her names, call her stupid her whole shift.

I had friends in childhood who absolutely abused their parents. They were relentless and mean and hacked them into submission and it made for a lot of awkward moments when I would hang with them, because I couldn’t do anything since… they were my abuser too.

Just because you’re a minor doesn’t mean knives you throw are not sharp and won’t hit someone. The fact that so many kids on this site use their age as a weapon, as a way to say “but nothing I do has any impact because I have no social power” is SCARY and we need to try to make people aware of this kind of stuff from a young age because most people who are like that don’t really realize it and they need guidance and rehabilitation so the cycle can stop. Because those people grow up and have kids and do it to their kids and they don’t learn that it’s not normal or okay, that they cannot deny reality by controlling the people around them. 

But sometimes it isn’t always that way, some of those parents were so nice and kind and I considered like family, and they just had absolute evil villains for kids. 

Check in with yourselves, guys. Especially right now. There’s a lot of upsetting stuff being shoved in our faces all the time and it makes it hard not to get tunnel vision when our emotions get out of control, especially with the pressure to perform by a lot of social circles on tumblr. And if you’re young and a lot of this is new, pace yourself, you’re learning, and you need to be open to the idea of learning more and know that us being adults doesn’t mean we’re just out of touch boring old farts who don’t know anything. We’ve lived things and we have experience and when we say to you that it’s not okay to tell people who like things you do not like to kill themselves, we’re not “apologists”… we’re the survivors too. 

[millennium-hearts]

Joyride of Your Life

Marik felt his heavy heart flinch as he heard his bedroom door be slammed but continued his confident, angry strides out his apartment door. Had he been looking for a spat between himself and Bakura? Not in particular. But he was looking for a fight and he knew it.

After sulking through the dark corridors, he arrived at an abandoned warehouse- the one next door to the one he used to forcing Bandit Keith to duel Yugi. There was still scorch marks on the outer walls of the building, but years had passed since that fated duel happened. A duel which gave Bakura his opportunity to take his next step towards revenge.

Marik shook his head, he wasn’t in the mood for romantic thoughts. He just wanted the biting cold air whipping his skin as he speed through the winding trails outside of Domino on his bike. He looked up at the lonely shack of a building, broken windows from punk kids throwing rocks at it lining the second story. The same old tags were marked by gangs outran by his rare hunters, or converted depending on if “Steve” was written on their birth certificate.

Marik reached underneath one of the window sills, pulling out two long pieces of metal that was hidden inside the cracks between mortar and glass. It was rusted and dirty from being weathered all this time, but at this moment Marik couldn’t care less. The tomb keeper made tracks around the building to a metal door, dipped down, and began to pick at the lock with his makeshift tools.

With a loud, hair-tingling screech, the warehouse door opened. It smelled moldy, drafty, and like diesel in the building. Looted crates spilled over each other. In the corner was a table with old documents for name changes dissolved by rain, flipped over and left to rot. Marik purposefully strode to another door and grabbed onto a thick, meaty chain. Pulling the chain, with a rapid, droning roar, he opened the shuttered door, revealing a new room. 

Marik’s heart began to quicken, thunder beginning to boom in his chest like seeing his first love. Which was exactly what was happening. Locking the chain in place, Marik almost jogged to the room, gliding around crates, tool boxes, and eventually to a mound covered up by a tarp. It was dusty in here, but spared from the cruelties of the weather. Lifting the tarp, the sheen of chrome and leather were slowly revealed.

His beautiful cruiser- the same he had rode into Domino for the first time. Marik smiled softly, rubbing his hand down its body. “Hello, baby. Did you miss me? It’s been a little while... Have the Steves been treating you well?” His heart swelled with pride and joy as he fully removed the protective covering. He sighed, gripping the handle bars, closing his eyes, biting his lip. He saddled it, reacquainting himself to the smooth curve of the seat, the power of the handle bars stretched out from him. He felt like a kid again. Marik dug out the key in his pocket and placed it in the ignition. With the press of the switch, his childhood dream growled to life. 

Marik began giggling to himself, jumping on the seat slightly. This was EXACTLY what he needed. Letting it warm up, he briefly searched for his helmet and readied himself for the ride.

The roar of the engine bounced off the cliff rocks as Marik sped down the highway, the power of the rocket under his butt making his feel alive- dignified. The Pharaoh, the socks, the fight, work, whatever it was is dissolved as he pushed his anger into the throttle. The fresh mist of the sea and cold air stung on his face and he was loving it. Marik began to laugh, feeling the power coarse through him again.

Twisting through the turns, Marik thought nothing of it until-

“WHOOP WHOOP.” In his side mirrors and by the gleam of the chrome, red and blue lights flashed in his eyes. 

“Frig! GREAT- this is just... perfect.....” Marik rolled his eyes, finding the shoulder and actually pulling over. “Friggin perfect- all I needed in this Gods-damned shitty day,” he mumbled to himself, adding more curses as he heard the crunch of an officer’s boots draw nearer to him.

“License and registrations,” a familiar, nasally, slow drawn out voice said near his ear. Marik spat another obscenity and looked up, displeased and riled up. “Oh, well if it wasn’t Marik Ishtar. Ha! You might have got off lucky last time with your butt-buddies but you won’t get off so easy now!”

“Well, if it wasn’t the fan fic police,” Marik began mockingly. 

“I see you weren’t dumb enough to forget. What happened, lost your ears?”

“We told you once and I’m not going to say it again- THAT was for CHARITY.”

“Uh-huh. License and registration.” Marik rolled his eyes and leaned over to retrieve what he needed in the side compartment of his bike. “You understand why I pulled you over, right? You were clocked doing eighty-five in a fifty mile per hour zone. Plus that helmet looks ridiculous on you. I’m going to have to write a citation for that.”

“Bull CRAP!” Marik yelled, hand still in the saddle. “This was the only helmet the animator’s let me have- and it was to show my beautiful face!”

“Everyone knows that excuse is dead, Ishtar. It’s as dead as your parents and your career as a villain.”

“EXCUSE ME!?” Marik roared. “I’LL have YOU know that-”

“-Save it, everyone knew it was over when you submitted to the duel with the Pharaoh. You pulling over for me only beats at the dead horse.” Marik clenched his teeth and seethed in rage, still in the midst of his search.

“Now be a good water-downed ex-villain and- What is THAT?” Gold glowed from Marik’s hand as he found, not his papers, his Millennium Rod.

“You want to run that by me again? Because I think I want another rundown. That’s what you do in law enforcement, yes? You put people on trial?”

“Well, actually that’s the ju-”

“SHUT UP-” Marik growled. He chuckled sinisterly, smirking at the officer as his eyes burned daggers into him. “In Ancient Egypt, those who died had to be judged, and it’s NOT pretty,” Marik said, his voice becoming overly polite. “If your heart weighs more than the feather of Ma’at, you’d be devoured.”

“Guess who’s about to figure out what that’s like? Believe me- it can only be one of us, and your bets aren’t looking good.” His grin widened. “And the animators don’t allow guns in this world- not unless you pay some GOOD money. Money a policeman’s salary can’t afford.” Marik’s rod was revealed, radiating like golden fire.

“Oh my God- you can’t-!!”

“Of course I can. ESPECIALLY if it’s off-screen,” he grinned.

“NOOOOO-!!!!” With the cut of black and the sonic roar of magic being cast, the scream was cut off.

“Well. That happened,” Marik said, staring at the body. He tucked the rod back into his pants loop. “Note to self- first attempt at Firaga Burst was successful.” Marik breathed out, feeling successful again as a villain. Pharaoh who? Marik began to laugh, staring at the charged swirls of smoke coming from the ex-bully from Season zero and Season one. “Woooooh! What a night,” he said, taking off the helmet, fixing his hair. 

“Whoop Whoop!” Marik froze, hearing the sound of another police siren. Backup!? Marik looked back, seeing the police car park behind the second motorcycle. “Shit!” Marik started his ignition as he heard the police man get out and discover the body laying in a husk on the ground.

“Hey- wait!” he called out to Marik. But Marik was already clutching at his throttle, tearing into the shoulder and burning rubber. “Officer down! I need back up on the east coast highway outside Domino City!”

Marik’s bike roared. He threw his head back laughing gleefully. “You won’t catch ME, coppers!” He felt adrenaline pumping through his body like the nitrous. Rushing past the ocean, it didn’t take long before there was a car chase following behind him. “Okay- if THAT’S how you want to play!”

The sirens screamed, echoing off the cliff side as Marik cranked it into high gear. Should this be his bike in Cairo, there was no way they’d catch him. Unfortunately, the cruiser was not his sport’s bike. Marik frowned, heart thundering in his ears as they caught up with him. Blocked from the sides and the back, it didn’t take too long before he saw the blockade ahead of him.

“Oh Ra- Oh Ra- Oh Ra- Oh Ra-!!!” he began to panic. He was going too fast to slam on breaks and there was no where else to turn-! “What do I do-!?” Marik screamed. But the rod glowed. “Alright- alright, if that’s the case, let’s do this!”

Marik took the rod from his pants and stretched it before him. He had one shot. Feeling the darkness swimming within him, he opened the portal to the dark corridor, right in from of the blockade. “Here goes-!” Marik held his breath and punched the throttle, shooting forward. The black mist raced towards him, and with a scream Marik tore into the dark corridor, the roar of sirens and engines behind him suddenly cutting off as he ripped into the other dimension.

The patterns of the Nobody’s sigil swirling around him were like white blurbs as he screamed through the corridor. His bike bounced, the paint and chrome corrupting from the exposure to the darkness. His breathe being hitched in his throat, Marik skidded his way through and out of the dark corridor. 

A bright light enveloped him and as he braked, tearing into the Grey Area of the Organization. The window of the lounge rushed to him as he braked hard, ripping up the floor. 

Marik panted, the bike having stopped barely a foot away from the window, stopped by the claymore of a certain pissed off Organization member. Marik was on the floor, looking up at the golden, furious eyes, and was suddenly in the air. Being shook by the collar of his cloak, the x-shaped scar almost burning in Saix’s forehead, Marik felt like he had whiplash. 

“HOW. DARE. YOU. CAUSE. A. DISTURBANCE. ISHTAR!!!!” the man yelled, throwing Marik across the room and onto a white couch, flipping it over in the jarring crash. “HAAAAAA-!!!” The Luna Diviner screamed, charging at Marik, claymore raised. Marik’s head spun- rod on the other side of the room, defenseless-.

CHING!

“Whoa whoa whoa, there, buddy. We don’t attack friends like that, do we?” a calming, yet sarcastic voice said. A voice with a surfer’s laid back personality. Standing above him was the old croon, Xigbar, his sniper crossbows halting Saix’s claymore directly. “So how about we all calm down and- HUUUGH-” Xigbar was sent flying as Saix punched him in the jaw. The claymore swung again, up in the air.

Marik, still stunned, began seeing his life play before his eyes. Shit, and he never made up to Bakura.

“AAAAUGGGGGHHHH-!!!”

“Stop.”

The air felt the same as if Hell froze over. In the room stepped The Superior- Number One- Xemnas. Saix didn’t move, his weapon overhead still, ready to crash onto Marik.

“At ease, Saix.” With the command, Number VII did as he was told. Marik groaned, rolling his head back on to the white tile. Xemnas took in the damage of the sight around him, curiously noting the bike sprawled at the edge of the room. He shook his head. “Will this chaos not rest?” he muttered to himself, sighing. He placed a hand on Saix’s shoulder and stepped in front of him, looking at Xigbar and Marik.

“Will SOMEONE please assist us,” he sighed, as if his expectations were already lowered. In the blink of an eye, higher classed Nobody appeared and began lifting the unconscious Xigbar up and out of the room, disappearing into the swirling black corridors. A few came to Marik, too, who also felt like blacking out after being hurled into furniture. Unlike the Shadow Game, Melvin wasn’t here to help him out of this.

“Xemnas, I can explain-” Saix began just to be cut off with the raise of a finger. 

“Everyone here will be suspended until a council decides otherwise.”

“But I-” Xemnas cut a glance to Saix which shut him up instantly. He pinched the bridge of his nose. 

“Someone take Ishtar to the infirmary. And block off the Grey Area.” Xemnas glared at the wrecked room. “If I could feel, I would be furious at this,” he mumbled to himself.

Marik moaned, being picked up and hauled off, following behind Xigbar. Before he knew it, he was laying in a white bed in the same looking white room as any other place in this castle had. He rubbed his eyes, sitting up, wondering how the heck he got to this point.

“Oh geez,” he muttered. “He’s going to have a fit about this.... Uugh,” he said, flopping back over and closing his eyes. At least he could use the time to rest up, though.

And of course, reflect upon his victory of icing off the fan fiction police.

But was it worth it? He’d figure it out later.

[carry-on-my-wayward-meg]

ALSO, 26s are thieves, psychopaths, and extreme abusive people.

“When you ‘wake up’, don’t say anything.”

Fuck it, I DON’T HAVE how to defend myself. I SHOULDN’T EVEN HAVE to be obligated to have the level necessary of maturity at that age, to defend myself against something like this.

I didn’t even want to be her friend.

I barely wanted to go at that stupid apartment.

I went, because I was forced and pulled by the person I had been already dating for many, many, months back then. Scorpio (20-21, supposedly. Wtv. I don’t remember anyone’s birthday unless they are a pure 7. (WOOOOOH) More or less. Not for years-long periods.).

And I thought (JUST RECENTLY) about the fact that maybe, HE might have wanted to break up and get rid of me had been a while, and maybe I hadn’t realized and he wasn’t finding any type of willpower to go through any break up with me, so he might have pulled me towards someone I disliked, to start a break up.

I am unsure how much of this behavior of any side is reasonable.

I don’t know. Maybe he is a fucking narcisist who purposefully does the contrary of what people like, to stir them on purpose, and only started doing it at a point he thought I was already vulnerable to f*ck me up.

I DON’T KNO.

I DON’T KNO ANYTHING ANYMORE.

-

The vocalist cancer dude I kissed 3 times, the day I did it the first time, mostly to spite this dude I was dating?

I DON’T REMEMBER what the fight was for.

(I know I shouldn’t have gone about, even if just ‘kiss-flinging’ with interesting people, exactly at the same time I’m still recently, emotionally and mentally mixed with someone I was with, but honeslty, about the dude, if I hadn’t been a lot stirred by something, I would have never, at any point in time, let not even the smallest opening of any part for anything to happen, ever.)

(But honestly, thinking right now, maybe that’s how I should have let it to be. Maybe the reason I felt like that, wasn’t only about me, but was something like a mirror. Maybe he completely hated the person I am/was, with some right to, because people have the right to dislike other people/things, and maybe I didn’t even know. But it wasn’t just out of nowhere. At least not the first time. I asked him first. And idk he was okay.)

(I have had a distant non-achievable little-star crush on him for a little less than a couple of years already, might have even been obvious, we might have traded words briefly for a couple times, he might have mocked my “basicness”/”boredomness” a little bit once, thinking now, might have even happened more behind my back, and in all this time, he never had been problematic not even close to anything related to the following size of problematic, towards me.)

Moving on, the dude I was dating. Long-therm talking. We didn’t break up.

Then an episode where I suffered punishment by something HE did, and I didn’t want him to, just by company, and then a car almost hit me the same day.

I had JUST met her, or the whole band, recently. I don’t think there had been NO TALKS about “moving in” with anybody, about anything.

(”Her” dude’s band. Not the “cancer-dude-vocalist” band. There’s TWO bands).

The abuse and let’s say, in a way, some beginning of isolation, making people fight with each other, started MUCH BEFORE I EVEN HAD AN OPENING, for wanting any friendship of any sort with her. But AFTER I met her.

And then maybe a couple months later, another car ACTUALLY HITS me. I go to the hospital. Stay on bed for about maybe a month, or a week? Two weeks? Something like that. I don’t remember.

HOW MANY TIME I took to ACTUALLY HEAL, completely? To apply pressure of ANY SORT and NOT feel ANY PAIN?

YEARS.

ATTEMPT OF MURDER stuff.

-

I SHOULD NOT have to pay and BE TERRORIZED, and suffer FEAR of some STUPID FUCKING POLICE OR JAIL against me, IF OR WHEN I FINALLY DECIDE TO FLIP OUT against these people, because of a lot of psychopathy that was planed against me.

I SHOULD NOT BE STOPPED NOR PUNISHED BY ANYTHING, THE POLICE, ANY ORGANIZATION, FOR DEFENDING MYSELF, FROM SOMEONE OR SOMETHING, THAT ATTEMPTED TO MURDER ME FIRST. SERIOUS BUSINESS. MANY TIMES.

STOP TAKING SIDES WITH THE ABUSIVE PEOPLE.

EVERYTHING matches with the time of me meeting her. She said someone else with Sun in Cancer who I could barely be around, and ALSO was a bit of a pathological liar, that was caught lying by both of us, and that I HAD MET BEFORE HER, WAS “going to be hurt by me”. That “that was the only thing I wanted with him”. Someone I liked. A lot. She made me cry and didn’t care. DEMONIZING ME.

Then when a DUDE, FUCKING 10 YEARS OLDER THAN ME, that I never had much intimacy for something of that size, falls out with me and slaps me in the face, me, UNDERAGE, Men X Girl, and she says he was in the reason for it?

(In defence of similar happenstances about unrelated people. There were Sagittarius dudes I somehow provoked and had a crush on, and regardless if the size of reaction might have not matched, (if), I had done something. Knowing he would flip. I actually wanted some interaction with him back then. In a wrong way. So I poked. Wasn’t right. I regret. AND he NEVER hit me. He ran after me, treatened me, then left. And I never provoked him again. THE END, so far. Yellow card.)

But this other dude? Never had any opening of any sort for something like that. It was out of nowhere. But sucessfull. As if it was planed.

And then she says I should have fling with another dude like 5 years older than me, but hear me out.

A FUCKING PISCES.

FIVE YEARS OLDER THAN ME.

BLACK METAL FUCK.

UGLY AS SHIT.

-

But hear me out.

A FUCKING PISCES.

FIVE YEARS OLDER.

-

A PISCES.

-

SHE TERRORIZED ME.

And then everytime I leave, BAD SHIT starts happening to me? Like not a bit. Not “annoying”. REAL BAD SHIT. The way they started even before I even WANTED ANYTHING AT ALL WITH HER, BUT STILL, AFTER I MET HER.

HOW THE FUCK would the source of it, the blame of it, fall on me, ANYHOW?

-

She wants people fucking talking about her, like I am doing now.

She’s a fucking narcisist.

If something, She FUCKING WANTED to kill me the FIRST TIME she ever saw me.

She is a psychopath.